Ji Cheng had watched several of the Chuyang Society’s matches, but her elder brother Ji Yuan never got to play. She understood that unless something unexpected happened, Ji Yuan probably had no chance of getting on the field.
A few days later, as August arrived, Ji Yuan’s servant Fengchun came to find Ji Cheng, saying that Ji Yuan had sprained his ankle and was asking for her.
“Is Elder Brother’s foot alright? Have you called for a physician?” Ji Cheng asked concernedly upon seeing Ji Yuan.
“It’s not serious. We’ve already seen a physician. He said there’s no damage to the tendons or bones, and it should be fine once the swelling goes down,” Ji Yuan replied.
On the way, Ji Cheng had already asked Fengchun and learned that Ji Yuan had sprained his foot while practicing polo on his own. Looking at Ji Yuan’s injury, Ji Cheng comforted him, “Don’t be anxious, Elder Brother. Polo isn’t something you can master in a day or two. Even a slow horse can cover ten stages with perseverance. As long as you keep practicing, Elder Brother, there will come a day when you’ll surprise everyone.”
Ji Yuan smiled bitterly, “I’m not hoping for a day of surprise anymore. I just don’t want to hold the society back. I called you here because I have a difficult request.”
Seeing Ji Yuan dismiss Fengchun, Ji Cheng knew this “difficult request” was likely to be very challenging. But Ji Yuan was her elder brother after all. Even if it meant climbing a mountain of swords or diving into a sea of fire, as long as Ji Cheng could do it, she couldn’t refuse.
“Just speak plainly, Elder Brother. Do you think I wouldn’t help you?” Ji Cheng said.
Ji Yuan’s face reddened first, and after organizing his thoughts for a moment, he finally spoke, “You know there’s another match for our society the day after tomorrow. It’s crucial to determine whether we can make it to the top eight. I don’t want to miss it. Could you… go in my place?”
Ji Cheng was stunned, shocked by Ji Yuan’s wild idea. But she quickly guessed the reason behind his request. The Chuyang Society was showing impressive momentum this year. With a bit of luck in the draw, they might even have a chance at reaching the finals.
Being part of a polo team with the potential to reach the finals was probably every polo player’s dream, and the benefits behind it were also astounding. If Ji Yuan withdrew due to his sprained ankle, it might be impossible for him to even rejoin Chuyang Society’s reserve team.
The Ji family was already considered wealthy, but whether they could become truly noble depended entirely on Ji Yuan. Understanding the implications, Ji Cheng couldn’t possibly refuse to help Ji Yuan.
Ji Yuan looked nervously at Ji Cheng. He knew his request was somewhat excessive. “Zhuer and the others don’t really know how to play polo, and this matter can’t be known by others, so I can only ask you, Acheng.”
Ji Cheng smiled, “I’ll help you, Brother. But we’re of different genders, and your build is more robust than mine. What if someone recognizes me?”
Ji Yuan said, “I’m not very familiar with the others in the society. If you find a way to disguise yourself, they won’t notice any small differences. Only Zitong is most familiar to me. If we can’t keep it from him, it’s alright to tell him.”
Ji Yuan had effectively shifted all the difficulties onto Ji Cheng. Ji Cheng had no choice but to have Liuye’er and Yuqian’er work overnight to make clothes and shoes. The shoes had to be specially made, with wooden wedges added to the soles to make the wearer taller. The hastily made clothes were also special, padded with cotton and shoulder pads, making Ji Cheng appear much more robust when worn. With the Chuyang Society uniform over this, Ji Cheng did look a bit like Ji Yuan from behind.
As for the face, it was even simpler. To avoid injuries while playing polo, players wore rattan helmets that covered their faces, obscuring their features.
After the grand transformation, Yuqian’er laughed from the side, “Young Miss, dressed like this, you look exactly like the Young Master. You’ve even learned to walk like him perfectly.”
Ji Cheng still felt a bit awkward. She had put a lot of effort into imitating her brother Ji Yuan over the past two days.
On the day of Chuyang Society’s match, Ji Cheng waited until Shen Jing and the others had changed and were ready to take the field before hurriedly entering the preparation area. Feeling unsure, she didn’t dare to stay with them for long.
As soon as Shen Jing saw Ji Cheng enter, he immediately went to greet her, “Why are you so late? We’ve been waiting just for you.”
Ji Cheng coughed twice and said in a hoarse voice, “My apologies, I caught a bit of a cold yesterday.”
“Is it serious? Do you need to rest?” Shen Jing asked with concern.
“I’m not that delicate. It’s just my throat that’s uncomfortable. I’ll be fine if I talk less,” Ji Cheng replied.
Shen Jing noticed that Ji Yuan’s voice sounded off, but he didn’t think too deeply about it. After a pause, he continued, “If we win today, we’ll make it to the top eight. I’ve specially invited Second Brother to watch and see if he can help us improve our tactics. We might even have a chance at reaching the finals.”
Ji Cheng mumbled a response, thankful when Yu Renlong, the captain of Chuyang Society, called out, “Zitong, Tianze, hurry up! It’s time to take the field.” Ji Cheng finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Before the match, as was customary, the members of both teams, including reserves like “Ji Yuan,” had to mount their horses and exchange greetings.
Today, Chuyang Society was facing Lanping Society. Due to the presence of the famous Qiu Xiaoshuang, the Lanping Society was extremely popular. They had been in the top four for the past two years, so not many people were optimistic about Chuyang Society’s chances this time.
This match was indeed particularly challenging for Chuyang Society. Ji Cheng, as a reserve, sat on the sidelines watching. Qiu Xiaoshuang was not only skilled in horsemanship and polo but also incredibly strong. Even in the second half, his stamina showed no signs of waning; instead, he seemed to grow more vigorous as the match progressed.
However, Chuyang Society, the dark horse, was no pushover. Chu Zhen’s ball-snatching was fierce, showing no fear of injury. His bandit-like style kept the Chuyang Society’s score neck and neck with the Lanping Society. But so far, Chuyang Society had already lost two key players. Injuries and falls from horses were not uncommon in polo matches.
Ji Cheng sat on the sidelines, her heart pounding. She had originally thought that substituting for her brother Ji Yuan would just mean sitting on the bench, as she wouldn’t have to play. But she hadn’t expected two players to get injured today. The two reserves ahead of her had already taken the field, and if another player got injured and left the game, Ji Cheng would have to be pushed onto the stage like a duck.
So Ji Cheng kept silently praying, “Please don’t get injured, please don’t get injured.” Unfortunately, what she feared came true. With just a quarter of an hour left in the match, another Chuyang Society player fell when his exhausted horse suddenly knelt, injuring his leg in the process.
Ji Cheng had no choice but to reluctantly take the field. Knowing that Ji Yuan’s polo skills were quite average, to avoid revealing any flaws, Ji Cheng had to play mediocrely. Even when the ball came to her mallet, she could only pass it casually, not daring to carry the ball across half the field to score.
Of course, the Chuyang Society members were aware of Ji Yuan’s level, so they rarely passed the ball to Ji Cheng. Ji Cheng also couldn’t possibly snatch the ball from under Lanping Society’s mallets, so she was content to just fill a spot.
With less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea left in the match, Chuyang Society, thanks to the perfect coordination between Chu Zhen and Shen Jing, scored another goal, finally equalizing the score. This was incredibly encouraging. Shen Qian, watching from the sidelines, stood up and cheered.
Ji Cheng saw this from afar and found it amusing. She had originally thought Shen Qian would be torn between Lanping Society and Chuyang Society, but her allegiance had shifted surprisingly quickly, completely towards Chuyang Society.
Now that the scores were tied and the match was nearing its end, whoever scored the next goal would be crucial.
Chu Zhen was the backbone of the entire Chuyang Society. In the final moments, Lanping Society’s strategy was to prevent Chu Zhen from getting a chance to score at all costs, even if it meant not scoring themselves. They were content with a draw. So Chu Zhen was closely marked, but even under such pressure, he was extraordinary. He managed to carve out a path through four or five Lanping Society players in hot pursuit. Unfortunately, in the end, he couldn’t score – after all, one man couldn’t fight off four hands.
Suddenly, Qiu Xiaoshuang spurred his horse and leaped out from an angle, catching Chu Zhen off guard and nearly snatching the ball from under his mallet.
The reason he didn’t succeed was that Chu Zhen made a desperate move. He couldn’t let Qiu Xiaoshuang get the ball no matter what. Seeing “Ji Yuan” nearby and with no time to think, he swung the ball towards her.
This left Ji Cheng at a loss. Should she try to break through with the ball or play the fool? If she fumbled now, Ji Yuan would likely be drowned in the spectators’ spit after the match.
But if Ji Cheng tried to break through with the ball, she would surely reveal her disguise. In the split second required for decision-making on the field, Ji Cheng saw Shen Jing far behind in their half, with all of Lanping Society’s defenders surrounding Chu Zhen. She immediately swung her mallet, accurately sending the ball across half the field to land in front of Shen Jing.
Shen Jing, upon receiving the ball, immediately rushed forward. With Chu Zhen’s assistance, he managed to score a goal just before the final drum sounded, winning a round of cheers from the entire field.
Shen Jing was particularly excited. After all, Ji Yuan had entered the society on his recommendation and hadn’t shown much performance until now. Today, he had finally brought honor to Shen Jing.
After the match, when Shen Jing saw Ji Cheng, he walked up and punched her shoulder, saying, “Well done! Looks like all your practice hasn’t been in vain.”
Ji Cheng coughed twice more and said in her hoarse voice, “It was just luck. I was in a daze myself.”
Although it was already August and autumn winds had begun, everyone was drenched in sweat after the match, especially Ji Cheng. She had worn padding to appear more robust and was now so hot she was almost breaking out in a rash. Shen Jing himself was sweating profusely and didn’t continue talking to Ji Cheng. He just said, “Let’s go cool off and change clothes first, then we’ll go celebrate.”
Taking a shower was not an option, and changing clothes was out of the question. Ji Cheng naturally couldn’t attend the celebration banquet either. Unfortunately, she couldn’t sneak away quietly because the area outside the rest area was surrounded. She had to lie and say she suddenly had a stomachache, telling Shen Jing and the others to go to the restaurant first.
When the crowd outside had mostly dispersed, Ji Cheng finally managed to sneak out. The poor girl’s face was flushed red from the heat, and she had sweated what felt like a pound. But she had successfully passed this hurdle without incident. By the time of Chuyang Society’s next match, Ji Yuan’s foot should be mostly healed.