Chapter 19: Playing Polo

Li Yu and Wu Jingcheng had indeed made the list in the prefectural examination—Li Yu ranked third in the top tier, while Wu Jingcheng came in seventh in the second tier. By sheer luck, they had just barely made it, catching the tail end of the fortunate examination gods.

“Zixuan, look at me, just look!” Wu Jingcheng beamed with joy, pointing at his name on the list. “Tell me, don’t I have the exam gods watching over me? If only I had this kind of luck in the provincial and metropolitan exams, wouldn’t that be perfect?”

What a close call! Achieving first place wasn’t the remarkable thing—it was his incredible luck that was truly impressive.

Li Yu smiled warmly and offered his blessing, “I hope Mengzhen will have the same good fortune in the academy trial. Otherwise, it’ll be rather dull going to the provincial exam alone.”

The God of Literature remained silent… Truly, both of them were brimming with confidence.

“Of course.” Wu Jingcheng was certain that with such luck, passing the academy trial would be a mere formality.

“This year’s top scorer in the prefectural exam is none other than Ning Sanlang. Who could compete with someone born under such favorable stars?”

He had a solid foundation, so his exam results were naturally more outstanding than the others.

“Zixuan, Mengzhen.” Just as the saying goes, “Speak of the devil and he shall appear.” Ning Yuan came over to check the list and immediately spotted both of them. Seeing their names on the list, he smiled even more sincerely.

“Looks like the three of us can travel to the provincial capital together.”

He then warmly invited them to visit the Ning residence—an invitation to play polo, as previously mentioned. Word had it that Ning the Instructor had even brought a famous painting from the previous dynasty as a prize.

Li Yu thought about his father’s birthday in September. His father had a great fondness for antiques and paintings but could only afford replicas, not genuine ancient artworks.

If he could win such a painting as a birthday gift, his father would surely be overjoyed.

“Well then… I must humbly accept.”

The gentleman’s six arts—rites, music, archery, chariot driving, calligraphy, and arithmetic—encompassed moral conduct, music and dance, archery skills, driving skills, writing, and mathematics.

Although most private academies nowadays no longer taught horse riding and archery due to lack of facilities and instructors, Li Gang, being an official of some standing, occasionally visited the county school. The teachers there were old acquaintances of his father, so while his riding and archery skills were not exceptional, they certainly weren’t poor.

He was quite adept at polo, especially considering that Wu Jingcheng beside him was very skilled, to the point that even the county magistrate’s son could not best him.

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“Hey, future brother-in-law, here’s your chance to win over your future father-in-law.”

Wu Jingcheng was speechless. Was he really admitting to being his future brother-in-law now?

“Alright, alright, you are my future ‘uncle-in-law’ after all.”

“Uncle-in-law” was the traditional term in their region, though scholars politely referred to their elder brother-in-law as “brother-in-law” and the younger brother-in-law as “wife’s younger brother.”

At the Ning residence, Madam Ning was massaging Ning Duan’s shoulders. Seeing his cheerful and relaxed expression, she guessed he was in a good mood today.

“That child, Zhaoan, I don’t understand what he’s thinking, choosing such a complicated family. Children from such backgrounds usually have the sharpest minds, whereas our Zhaoan is so straightforward…”

She felt it was better for her daughter to marry within their own family. After all, the substantial dowry from her daughter’s marriage shouldn’t be given away to outsiders.

“It’s not really that complicated,” Ning Duan said with a slight squint, enjoying the moment. “Zhaoan is right. Once someone takes the Li surname, they have nothing to do with the Shen family.”

“And what’s wrong with being cunning? Once married, you’re husband and wife, one family. What use is there in playing tricks?”

He admired the child’s essays—each word a gem, full of literary brilliance. Given the right opportunities, he would surely become a distinguished person. As for cunning… who would succeed in the civil service without a sharp mind? Without it, one would never know how they might perish.

Madam Ning pursed her lips. “That’s true, but he is still a Shen by birth. There are historical cases of successful candidates who reverted to their original surnames.”

On the contrary, she had rarely seen those who didn’t revert to their original surnames after achieving success.

Ning Duan remained unmoved. “So what if he changes back to Shen? Or doesn’t? Does it really matter for success and fame what surname one holds?”

What he valued was the child’s talent, not whether he was a Li or a Shen.

Then he looked up at his pouting wife. “I know what you’re thinking, but your nephew is barely scraping by in his studies compared to this child.”

“He’s failed the academy trial three times already. Believe me, the Li boy will pass on his first try.”

The dowry from their third daughter was indeed tempting, but it had been arranged by his late wife before she died—each child received their share. It was no one else’s concern.

Even as head of the family, he could not go against his late wife’s wishes.

Besides, he had to consider the family ties of the Ning household. His wife’s nephew simply could not compare to this Li boy.

Madam Ning, frustrated, stopped massaging and pulled the blanket over her back, pretending to fall asleep.

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Seeing this, Ning Duan sighed and gently coaxed his wife, “Alright, alright, I’ll give in. If your nephew passes the academy trial this time, I’ll have a proper talk with Zhaoan.”

After all, his wife was more than twenty years younger; it was better to placate her when possible.

Hearing this, Madam Ning’s heart lifted. Her nephew had studied hard for a year and was expected to pass. However, she hadn’t noticed that Ning Duan said he would “talk it over,” not that the marriage was settled.

Meanwhile, Li Yu returned to the Ning residence as a guest. This time, he came with ten other candidates who had passed the prefectural exam. Today, they successfully met Ning Duan, the Ning Instructor.

Li Yu found Ning Duan to be kind and gentle, his tone serious yet laced with humor. After a brief chat, the group was invited to the field to play.

The prize was a famous painting of winter plum blossoms by a master from the previous dynasty. Li Yu recognized at once that his father would love it.

So, he and Wu Jingcheng donned the polo uniforms prepared by the Ning family and took to the field together.

Polo, also called “jiju,” is a sport played on horseback using a mallet to strike a ball into the opponent’s goal. It originated in the Han dynasty, flourished during the Tang and Song dynasties, and was loved by Zhu Zhanji of the Ming dynasty. However, it gradually fell out of favor by the Qing dynasty.

A polo match could be played with teams of six or four. Li Yu’s team wore blue, while Yu Guang’s team wore red.

To win, one had to strike the ball into the opposing team’s net.

Wu Jingcheng and Li Yu were invited onto the field first. Their opponents were Ning Yuan and a youth named Yu Guang, who was said to have failed the academy trial multiple times and had also retaken the county prefectural exam several times without success.

Yu Guang seemed hostile toward Li Yu, playing with reckless intensity each time he struck the ball. Wu Jingcheng, caught off guard, felt his hands gripping the mallet go numb.

Li Yu whispered a warning, “Zixuan, have you offended him somehow?”

Li Yu thought it over and replied no—they had never exchanged a word.

As the ball was about to be taken away, Li Yu pressed his horse forward and passed the ball toward Wu Jingcheng. But Yu Guang blocked his mallet with his own, preventing any movement.

Wu Jingcheng and Ning Yuan also battled for the ball. Li Yu tried to pull back his mallet to regain possession, but Yu Guang hooked his mallet again.

The look Yu Guang gave Li Yu was filled with caution, suspicion, and a faint trace of jealousy. Li Yu found it quite bewildering.

“Brother, it’s just a game of polo, no need to take it so seriously.”

From the way he looked at him, one might think he had stolen someone’s wife.