Chapter 56 – The Finals

Chapter 56 - The Finals

In the blink of an eye, the Mid-Autumn Festival had arrived.

On this day, the Imperial Academy was on holiday, allowing many students to watch the polo match at the polo field without having to skip class.

This match was the final one in the polo tournament.

Currently, both the Imperial Academy and the Wencheng Hall were tied for first place, and it was uncertain who would emerge as the ultimate champion.

Many students from the Wencheng Hall entered the Imperial Academy on this day, taking their seats in the designated area to watch the match.

The students of the Wencheng Hall were all of noble status, such as relatives within the mourning period of the imperial family, relatives of the Empress Dowager and Empress who were within the mourning period, or descendants of high-ranking officials like the Six Ministers, First-Rank Dispersed Officials, and Third-Rank officials, and they had to be selected based on their intelligence and character.

For example, Lu Huaiqing and Lu Huaijing were both sons of the Minister of Revenue, but only Lu Huaiqing had the qualifications to enter the Wencheng Hall, while Lu Huaijing could only remain in the Imperial Academy.

This meant that the students of the Imperial Academy's Guozixue, when encountering the students of the Wencheng Hall, had to show deference, and there was a clear gap in terms of status.

Their future employment prospects were also vastly different.

This was also one of the reasons why the position of the Crown Prince was usually extremely stable. To shake the position of the Crown Prince was akin to shaking the entire court.

Any student randomly selected from the Wencheng Hall possessed great talent.

The mere presence of these people in the Imperial Academy attracted the attention of many students, causing them to behave more respectfully.

In comparison, the Daoxuan Academy, which was once again hiding in the small forest to watch the match, seemed even more inferior.

Gu Qionghua struggled to find a good viewing spot amidst the crowd, whispering to Yu Jianli, "It just so happens that today is a holiday, and it's packed with people. It might have been better if we skipped class earlier, at least then we could have watched comfortably."

"Everyone is very concerned about this match," Yu Jianli said, though he appeared somewhat worried. His current position was crowded, and since it wasn't a tiered stand, he couldn't see much.

"Yu Jianli!" Someone suddenly called out to Yu Jianli from the direction of the Wencheng Hall.

Yu Jianli was startled and looked over, seeing unfamiliar faces.

Fortunately, Gu Qionghua was by his side and recognized them immediately: "The son of the Minister of Works, and he knows you? I wonder what his intentions are."

Yu Jianli's father was from the Ministry of Works, so it wasn't surprising that the son of the Minister of Works knew him.

However, this made him somewhat anxious. He didn't remember this person, and the book rarely mentioned him. He didn't know what kind of personality this person had, nor did he know how familiar the original owner was with him.

Yu Jianli could only nod in acknowledgment towards the person.

"Come over here and watch," the person beckoned to Yu Jianli. The people around him also seemed curious about Yu Jianli and turned to look at him.

It was quite amazing that despite Yu Jianli never visiting the Wencheng Hall, many of its students knew about him.

Thus, Yu Jianli went to the Wencheng Hall's viewing area in front of many students from the Imperial Academy.

The students of the Imperial Academy began to murmur amongst themselves.

This time, he really was among strangers, not recognizing anyone.

Those who he found somewhat familiar were currently preparing for the polo match.

"It's been a long time since we've seen each other; why have you become so distant?" asked the son of the Minister of Works at this moment.

"I should always show respect."

"Hmm...you've grown taller." He smiled after observing Yu Jianli. "I heard that you also made lanterns, and even collaborated with Lu Huaiqing's younger brother. How did it turn out?"

Yu Jianli finally remembered that during the previous Thousand Lantern Festival, this person had won the top prize for the lanterns and sold them for an extremely high price.

Now, it wasn't strange that he was interested in the lanterns Yu Jianli made.

"In my spare time between classes, I can only consider it a handicraft. It's just for fun to look at," Yu Jianli replied modestly.

"If it's something you made, I would look forward to it greatly." As he spoke, he gestured for Yu Jianli to come closer. "Stand next to me to watch. It's too crowded over there."

Yu Jianli tried to relax himself and stood beside him.

Although everyone from the Wencheng Hall was here to watch the match, they all had their own chairs.

Those standing beside them were their attendants, except for Yu Jianli, who was somewhat unique.

This made Yu Jianli realize that this might be a way to assert dominance, making him aware of the difference in their statuses. He was only worthy of standing shoulder to shoulder with the attendants.

But to others, it seemed like a favor bestowed upon him.

At this moment, the polo teams took the field, eliciting cheers from the crowd.

The two teams didn't immediately start the match but instead walked their horses, preparing for the game.

Ji Yanbai looked over at the stands and then rode his horse toward the Crown Prince's position.

They seemed to exchange a few words, causing the Crown Prince to glance over at the Wencheng Hall.

The Crown Prince didn't move, but Lu Huaiqing went aside to give some instructions. Sometimes, it was as if Lu Huaiqing had mind-reading abilities specifically for the Crown Prince.

Soon after, someone brought a chair to the Wencheng Hall's viewing area and politely guided Yu Jianli to sit down.

Yu Jianli knew that this was the Crown Prince's command.

Under the watchful eyes of the students of the Wencheng Hall, he sat down rather stiffly.

He, a regular student of the Imperial Academy, whose father had been demoted and had no background, was now sitting on equal footing with these geniuses favored by heaven.

And that wasn't all. Someone brought a new parasol to shield Yu Jianli from the sun.

Others delivered fruit platters, pastries, and dried fruits, placing them beside Yu Jianli's hand.

Yu Jianli sat upright, not daring to eat anything.

He felt as if he was sitting on pins and needles.

At this moment, the son of the Minister of Works laughed and said, "I was being negligent."

Yu Jianli could only gesture in response: "No, no. It's because the Crown Prince treats people with kindness and generosity."

He then asked, "You have a good relationship with the Little Imperial Uncle, don't you?"

"We do know each other."

"You've met quite a few people since you came back..." There seemed to be a hidden meaning in his words.

"It's also due to their appreciation."

*

Lu Huaijing arrived beside Ming Zhiyan, pursing his lips in disdain. "Why did Yang Tongyu call Yu Jianli over? Yu Jianli's father is no longer in the Ministry of Works, yet he still wants to show off his power? He's bound to be disappointed. Yu Jianli isn't someone who flatters others. If he were to flatter others, I wouldn't be friends with him."

Lu Huaijing had plenty of people flattering him around him, and many in the Guozixue would try to curry favor with him.

He preferred to be with Yu Jianli precisely because Yu Jianli interacted with him naturally, without that annoying feeling.

Ming Zhiyan, however, was thinking about something else: "He must be very uncomfortable sitting there right now."

"Definitely. That group from the Wencheng Hall is very snobbish. They're only gentle to those who are successful. Their attitude towards me is average, let alone towards him."

"How can we get him to leave?" Ming Zhiyan clearly cared more about Yu Jianli's feelings.

"Ji Yanbai has already helped salvage the situation for him. If he leaves now, it would seem like he doesn't appreciate the grandeur bestowed by the Crown Prince."

Ming Zhiyan seemed to have guessed this as well, but he was quite annoyed. "He hasn't done anything, yet they insist on targeting him. It's infuriating."

"That's right!" Lu Huaijing rarely agreed with him so wholeheartedly.

As the two chatted, the polo match began.

In this match, Ji Yanbai incorporated the suggestions Yu Jianli provided later on, combined with the strategies given by Ming Zhiyan, making some adjustments.

While they had their strategies, the Wencheng Hall naturally had theirs as well.

As a result, the polo match started in a stalemate.

Only when Yu Jianli truly saw the Wencheng Hall team did he realize how strong they truly were.

Not only did they have excellent physical fitness, but their horses were also superior to those of the Imperial Academy.

He used to think that Lu Huaiqing was refined and scholarly, but now he realized that Lu Huaiqing also possessed decent skills.

The strongest member of the Wencheng Hall was probably the Seventh Prince.

He seemed to have exceptional physical abilities and was tall, playing a role similar to Ji Yanbai's in the team.

Within the Imperial Academy, the only one who could cooperate well with Ji Yanbai was Ming Zhiyan.

However, in the Wencheng Hall team, everyone could cooperate excellently.

When facing other teams, Lu Huaijing could still put up a fight.

But against the Wencheng Hall, he became the weak link of the Imperial Academy, heavily suppressed.

Yu Jianli finally realized that the Imperial Academy's team relied entirely on Ji Yanbai and Ming Zhiyan to carry the load. These two were trying their best to counter the entire Wencheng Hall team.

Of course, the others were also working tirelessly and persevering.

The fact that they managed to tie in the previous match showed how hard they had worked.

"The Little Imperial Uncle is indeed remarkable," Yang Tongyu sighed at this moment. "Without him, this match wouldn't be worth watching at all."

Clearly, his implication was that the Imperial Academy relied solely on Ji Yanbai, and the others didn't even catch their attention.

Seeing that Yu Jianli didn't respond, he asked him, "Yu Jianli, what do you think?"

Yu Jianli's answer was always diplomatic: "Everyone's efforts deserve praise."

Yang Tongyu was amused by his response. "Lu Huaijing was chosen to join the team. Didn't your Imperial Academy have anyone else?"

"Look," Yu Jianli gestured for him to look at the field. "He knows he's the weakest member of the team, so he's trying his best to make up for it. He takes the match seriously throughout, actively cooperating even when he's in the least noticeable position on the field. He never slacks off."

One could criticize Lu Huaijing's skills, but not his dedication.

Throughout the match, Lu Huaijing would always cooperate actively. Whenever the ball showed signs of coming his way, he would be fully prepared, displaying an extremely serious attitude.

But Yang Tongyu still looked contemptuous. "If he didn't provide the horses, could he have joined the team? Clearly, he's not skilled enough and is just dragging the team down."

"Everyone starts from different points. He has made significant progress and isn't holding the team back."

Yang Tongyu wanted to say more, but he was interrupted by someone else. "Enough, stop talking. If you continue, it will make us from the Wencheng Hall appear petty and mean-spirited."

Yang Tongyu seemed to be wary of this person and didn't speak further.

The person beside him chuckled lightly. "You never criticize Lu Huaiqing's younger brother in front of him. Lu Huaiqing is very protective of his younger brother. Besides, his younger brother has recently focused on polo and hasn't gotten into any fights or caused trouble. That's a good thing."

"That's true," Yang Tongyu forced a smile as he answered the two people.

The two people ignored him and continued watching the match.

Yang Tongyu seemed somewhat upset. He hadn't received any favorable treatment from Yu Jianli and had been interrupted by others.

But he wasn't foolish enough to say anything more.

Even if Yu Jianli didn't pay much attention to current political affairs, he knew that the Ministry of Works had been in turmoil recently, seemingly having incurred the wrath of the emperor.

Just as Ji Yanbai had said, a project that had only been completed less than a year ago had collapsed, resulting in many within the Ministry being punished, leaving quite a few positions vacant.

It seemed someone had mentioned Yu Qianshou, which had displeased Yang Tongyu, leading him to take the opportunity today to verbally challenge Yu Jianli.

Unfortunately, even his fellow students at the Writings Honoring Hall couldn't bear his petty tricks.

At this moment, chaos erupted on the field.

Ji Yanbai and the Seventh Prince began their confrontation right from the start, charging at each other without yielding.

The Seventh Prince was overpowered, leaning backward dangerously close to falling off his horse. Thankfully, Ming Zhiyan was right beside him, grabbing his collar and forcibly pulling him back onto the saddle.

The Seventh Prince was stunned, taking a long look at Ming Zhiyan after regaining his seat.

Ming Zhiyan's focus, however, remained on Ji Yanbai.

Ji Yanbai controlled his horse, barely stabilizing before being warned by the referee.

One foul accumulated.

Subconsciously tightening his sleeve, Yu Jianli anxiously watched Ji Yanbai, fearing any signs of another outburst.

He saw Ji Yanbai guide his horse for a bit, not changing his expression, but returning to his position to await the ball's release.

He secretly sighed in relief, hoping his advice to Ji Yanbai had been effective.

The Seventh Prince rode past Ming Zhiyan, muttering a quiet, "Thanks."

The two didn't exchange glances; the Seventh Prince didn't linger, quickly returning to his own position.

As if nothing had happened.