Chapter 98 Men Are Everywhere!

Chapter 98: Men Are a Dime a Dozen!

Jiang Shuning recalled how, in her past life, after the Second Prince died in battle, Xia Yan was plunged into despair, resolutely shaved her head, and entered a convent to live a life of seclusion.

The man she loved didn't return her feelings, yet she wasted her whole life on him.

Such a sacrifice was utterly pointless!

"He's just a man, why is it so hard to let go?" Jiang Shuning said in exasperation. "A three-legged toad might be hard to find, but two-legged men are everywhere on the streets!"

"But none of the men on the streets are him!" Xia Yan said plaintively.

"If it's not him, then find someone else! There are plenty of good men in the world, why must you cling to one tree?"

She hadn't even finished speaking when Xia Yan's expression suddenly changed, and she tugged at Jiang Shuning's sleeve.

Only then did Jiang Shuning notice Xiao Lingchuan and Xiao Qiyu, dressed in smart riding attire, walking straight toward them.

Clearly, they had overheard her entire "men are everywhere" speech.

Xiao Lingchuan's peerlessly handsome face was overcast with dark clouds, while Xiao Qiyu was struggling to hold back his laughter.

"We pay our respects to the Fourth Prince and the Seventh Prince!" They hurriedly straightened up and bowed respectfully.

Jiang Shuning felt Xiao Lingchuan's gaze land on her like a physical weight, instantly making her feel as if needles were pricking her back, as if facing a formidable enemy.

Perhaps out of consideration for Xia Yan's presence, Xiao Lingchuan did not make a scene on the spot. He merely said in a flat tone, "No need for formalities," and strode off without another word.

After they had gone some distance, Xia Yan whispered, still shaken, "Shuning, why do I feel like the Fourth Prince seemed rather displeased?"

Jiang Shuning thought to herself, he wasn't just displeased; he was absolutely furious.

If his eyes were daggers, she would have been sliced into a thousand pieces by now, her bones ground to dust.

Walking toward the polo field, Xiao Lingchuan was seething, the echo of Jiang Shuning's resounding words still ringing in his ears—"Then find someone else! There are plenty of good men in the world, why must you cling to one tree?"

So, after her rebirth, she planned to choose a different partner, did she?

No wonder she was such a flirt!

Even Xiao Huaijin was now at her feet.

The more Xiao Lingchuan thought about it, the angrier he became. If he hadn't threatened to kill all the men who coveted her that day, she probably would have already shifted her affections by now, wouldn't she?

Beside him, the irrepressible Xiao Qiyu teased, "So Sister-in-law is such a free spirit! Fourth Brother, you'd better be careful, or she might fall for someone else one day!"

"Shut up!" Xiao Lingchuan glared at him fiercely and snapped, "You always say the wrong thing!"

Xiao Qiyu looked aggrieved. "Fourth Brother, I was just joking. Is it necessary to get so angry?"

The deafening sound of drums and gongs for the second polo match rang out, signaling the start of the gripping showdown.

Aside from the Crown Prince, who was frail and sickly, the other six princes all took to the field.

The open and covert rivalry among the princes was undoubtedly the main attraction of this polo match.

The noble guests in the stands remained outwardly composed, but they had long been calculating in their hearts, quietly placing bets on the teams they favored.

On the field, the Fourth Prince Xiao Lingchuan, the Seventh Prince Xiao Qiyu, and the Second Prince formed one team, while the Third Prince Xiao Xiuzhan, the Fifth Prince Xiao Huaijin, and the Sixth Prince joined forces, forming the opposing team.

All six princes were skilled in horsemanship and exceptional in polo, each with their own strengths, making it difficult to determine who was superior.

They integrated martial arts and *qinggong* into the polo match, making the game even more spectacular.

Witnessing their breathtaking performance, Jiang Shuning suddenly realized how childish the women's match earlier had been in comparison to the fierce competition among these six princes.

Both the Fourth Prince Xiao Lingchuan and the Second Prince had martial arts to rely on, giving them a natural advantage, which made their performance on the field even more outstanding and invincible.

Soon, the match was decided, with the team led by Xiao Lingchuan ultimately winning the intense contest and coming out on top.

As the spectators erupted in thunderous cheers, Xiao Lingchuan immediately turned his gaze toward where Jiang Shuning was seated. His deep peach blossom eyes were filled with unconcealed triumph.

Looking at him, a whirlwind of thoughts swept through Jiang Shuning. She couldn't help but recall the Xiao Lingchuan of her past life, who at this time was still a neglected prince. No matter the occasion, he was always low-key, reserved, and inconspicuous.

If not for his excessively handsome and striking appearance, he would have been hard to notice.

She couldn't help but wonder why she had been so infatuated with him in her past life.

Was it merely because he had saved her life?

Or was it because of his devastatingly handsome face?

For a moment, she didn't know whether to criticize herself for being too shallow, obsessed with appearances, or to blame Xiao Lingchuan for being too strikingly handsome, capable of bewitching hearts and minds.

Xiao Qiyu said to Xiao Lingchuan, "Fourth Brother, look, Sister-in-law is watching you! She must be impressed by your superb horsemanship and polo skills!"

Hearing this, the corners of Xiao Lingchuan's mouth lifted slightly into a meaningful smile, but he did not reply.

In this life, he finally had something more impressive to offer than just a handsome face—a remarkable quality that could make her admire him.

He was confident he could capture her heart just as he had in his past life.

Xiao Lingchuan frequently glanced at Jiang Shuning, which made the Noble Maidens in the stands extremely jealous.

The Fourth Prince was peerlessly handsome, deeply favored by the Emperor, and now even played polo so exquisitely. How could they, young maidens waiting in their boudoirs, not be captivated and dream of him?

However, the Fourth Prince's enchanting peach blossom eyes seemed to hold only Jiang Shuning within them, leaving no room for anyone else.

Though they were jealous in their hearts, they couldn't immediately find any fault with Jiang Shuning, especially since her performance on the polo field earlier had been truly stunning.

The Noble Maidens didn't know how to dim Jiang Shuning's radiance, but Jiang Yaozhen did.

She approached the Young Duke and whispered a few words in his ear.

The Young Duke understood immediately. He then cleared his throat and, facing all the spectators present, proposed loudly, "The performance of the princes earlier was truly breathtaking and worthy of applause. To add more fun to the competition, how about changing the format for the next match to mixed teams, with men and women paired together? Let each prince choose a lady he admires as a teammate to fight side by side. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

As soon as these words were spoken, cheers and excited shouts erupted throughout the venue.

Everyone wanted to witness a polo match where princes and Noble Maidens participated together. The very thought of such a scene was thrilling.

Hearing this, the princes readily agreed, expressing their approval one after another.

Xiao Lingchuan wanted to continue his earlier glory, to take first place again and win the beauty's heart; while Xiao Xiuzhan was determined to reclaim the spotlight that Xiao Lingchuan had stolen from him earlier, to wipe away the shame.

Soon, they formed their respective teams. Jiang Shuning and Xia Yan joined Xiao Lingchuan's team, while Jiang Yaozhen and Gu Wanying joined Xiao Xiuzhan's team.

Some mischief-makers in the stands shouted teasingly, "This is a powerful alliance of two champion teams! The outcome is probably already decided even before the match begins!"

Other spectators, hearing this, chimed in agreement, "Yes, yes! In my opinion, the result of this match is already predetermined, with no suspense at all!"

Seeing this, the Young Duke quickly stepped in to smooth things over: "Everyone, the match hasn't officially begun yet. It's anyone's game until the final moment—who can say for sure the result won't be surprising? Please remain calm, settle down, and watch attentively. Let's wait and see!"

After speaking, he walked over to Jiang Shuning, patted the brown horse she was riding, looked up at her with a smile, and said, "Miss Jiang's performance on the field just now truly took everyone's breath away. I'm looking forward to your brilliant performance next!"

Jiang Shuning nodded: "You flatter me, Young Duke!"

The Young Duke gave her a meaningful glance before turning and walking away.

Watching his retreating figure, she couldn't shake a nagging sense of unease.

Although she had grown up with the Young Duke, he was clearly closer to Jiang Yaozhen than to her.

Why would he go out of his way to cheer her on?

Was he just putting on a show for the audience?

As she pondered this, the drumroll to start the match sounded.

Jiang Shuning quickly gathered her thoughts, focusing all her attention on the match ahead, and soon got swept up in the tense, thrilling back-and-forth of the chase.

Having just mastered the skills of polo, she was riding the high of her new skills, all she cared about was grabbing the ball and scoring—even snatching it from her teammates a few times to score herself.

Yet, Xiao Lingchuan and Xia Yan indulged her, sometimes even intentionally letting her have the ball so she could run wild.

Her sweaty, beaming smile was simply hard to resist.

Even the opposing fifth prince, Xiao Huaijin, couldn't help but go easy on her, allowing her to effortlessly take the polo ball.

Seeing Jiang Shuning once again become the center of attention, Jiang Yaozhen seethed with jealousy.

A glint of malice flashed in her eyes: Let's see how smug you'll be later!

Just then, Jiang Shuning suddenly felt something was off. The horse beneath her became increasingly difficult to control, causing her to make repeated mistakes on the field and miss several excellent scoring opportunities.

Finally, the horse completely lost control, went berserk, bolting for the edge of the polo field. No matter how tightly Jiang Shuning pulled the reins, it was no use.

This sudden turn of events shocked everyone present. Xiao Lingchuan immediately spurred his horse to chase after her.

"Shuning, what's going on?" he asked urgently while galloping.

"I don't know!" Jiang Shuning's voice held a hint of panic. "It—it won't obey me!"

"Let go of the reins and jump toward me, now!"

"I'm scared!" Jiang Shuning's voice trembled.

Before she could finish, the frenzied horse suddenly leaped into the air, attempting to clear the high fence and charge out of the polo field!

In that split second, Xiao Lingchuan released his reins and lunged toward Jiang Shuning, using all his strength to pull her tightly against him.

The two crashed heavily to the ground, tumbling several times before coming to a stop.

Everyone present was utterly stunned by this heart-stopping scene.

When Jiang Shuning finally regained her senses from the dizziness, she ignored the pain in her body and quickly turned to look at Xiao Lingchuan.

She saw him in agony, his brow tightly furrowed, and his originally rosy lips rapidly turning black before her eyes!