Princess Qinghua spotted Mudan at first glance, yet showed not the slightest surprise. Smiling warmly, she said, “What a coincidence, Dan Niang! It’s been so long—how have you been? Ever since we parted after the Dragon Boat Festival, I’ve been constantly worried about you, fearing something terrible might have happened to you. Fortunately, seeing you today and seeing your complexion looking so well, I can finally set my mind at ease.”

Mudan guessed that she had probably already spotted her when riding past earlier, and that no matter how she tried to hide, Princess Qinghua would still seek her out. Since there was no avoiding it, she might as well face the situation calmly and see what the princess actually wanted. She smiled faintly, “Thanks to Your Highness’s good fortune, Dan Niang is doing very well.”

Princess Qinghua’s eyes darted about, and she spoke with a somewhat coy manner, “A few days ago when I went to see the Princess Imperial, she asked about your situation and told me not to treat you poorly—that I should at least give you some compensation. What would you like? Just tell me directly, don’t be polite.”

Mudan felt a wave of disgust. What did she want? She wanted Princess Qinghua and Liu Chang, those two revolting people, to never appear before her again. She responded coolly, “The Princess Imperial and Your Highness are too kind. I should be the one thanking you both for helping me fulfill my wish, allowing me to live the peaceful and carefree life I have today.”

Princess Qinghua’s goal of showing off hadn’t been achieved, and she had been gently pricked instead. She felt somewhat displeased, but truly couldn’t find anything to criticize in Mudan’s words. Moreover, her own mood was indeed excellent—a long-cherished wish was about to be fulfilled, she had just taken revenge for a previous slight, and there was still some country bumpkin waiting for her to deal with. The days ahead were long, so she couldn’t be bothered to bicker with Mudan. She smiled, “I was just telling several madams that we’re going to play polo at a nearby estate. Right now we’re short some people—one was injured and two left, so we don’t have enough. It just so happens that all you madams are skilled riders. I’m a hospitable person, so why don’t we all go play together? What do you think?”

Mudan felt alarm bells ringing in her mind. She immediately put on a troubled expression and looked toward Li Manniang, “I can barely manage horseback riding, much less play…” Polo was an extremely dangerous activity—mostly men played it, and the vast majority of women either rode donkeys or played on foot. If she went along and was forced to play polo, wouldn’t she be simply throwing her life away?

Li Manniang understood the situation and gave Mudan a reassuring look, then smiled, “Thank you for Your Highness’s kind regard, but among our group, the old are old and the young are young. We can manage riding horses for leisurely outings and keeping up appearances, but if we actually took to the field to play polo, I’m afraid we’d make ourselves laughable. Making everyone laugh would be one thing, but the key concern is dampening everyone’s enthusiasm.”

Princess Qinghua laughed, “Who says so? As far as I know, the military is full of skilled riders—some women even dare to compete with men. If you refuse to go, Madam, could it be that you look down on us? Think we’re not worthy?”

Having said this much, Li Manniang and Madam Dou exchanged glances, knowing there was no escaping today. Though Li Manniang secretly regretted meddling to save that woman who fell from her horse, she had never been one to fear trouble. She laughed heartily, “Since Your Highness puts it that way, you make me ashamed. Since you’re referring to military women, then count me in”—gently excluding Mudan from the group.

Madam Dou also said, “Count me in too.” The other women also smiled. Madam Huang rubbed her hands together eagerly, “It’s been so long since I’ve touched a polo mallet—my hands are really itching for it!”

Princess Qinghua didn’t bother calculating whether Mudan would actually take the field. She turned to look at Mudan with a smile, “Dan Niang, if you don’t come this time, I’m afraid you’ll rarely get to see such a grand gathering again in the future. Don’t decline.” She was essentially mocking Mudan for having been expelled from that circle, with no hope of return. But seeing Mudan show no reaction, she secretly cursed her as a blockhead. After a pause, she looked at Mudan provocatively, “Speaking of which, I invited you before—I wanted to hold a banquet to apologize to Young Master Jiang. Do you remember? It’s today.” Sure enough, she saw worry appear on Mudan’s face, and Mudan no longer protested about firmly refusing to go.

Everyone quickly gathered their things and followed Princess Qinghua’s group forward. Among Princess Qinghua’s party were some who recognized Mudan, constantly stealing glances back at her with expressions of pity or sighs. Mudan ignored them all. From the occasional fragments of conversation, Mudan finally pieced together that the person who had argued with Princess Qinghua was Princess Xingkang, the daughter of the King of Wu, and the one who fell from her horse was Princess Xingkang’s maternal cousin, not someone from the imperial clan. Though the details of their grudges weren’t clear, it couldn’t escape the suspicion of Princess Qinghua taking revenge through entrapment.

Mudan thought privately that Dalang had brought her to see land in this area, and Princess Qinghua’s estate was also in this area—they might encounter each other frequently in the future. To reduce trouble, she was somewhat inclined not to take this piece of land.

Seeing Mudan weighed down with worries, Li Manniang found an opportunity to move forward and whispered, “Don’t be afraid. Since I’m the one who brought you out, no matter what happens, I’ll make sure you return home safe and sound. I’ve already spoken with Madam Dou—just stay close to Xue Niang later, don’t wander off. As long as we’re careful enough, she won’t dare go too far out of line.”

Mudan nodded in agreement, “I’m somewhat worried about that Young Master Jiang—today’s events are most likely aimed at him.” She might just be an accessory. Princess Qinghua’s logic was probably similar to Liu Chang’s—you must rise again from where you fell. That day she was humiliated in Mudan’s presence, so today she would surely make Jiang Changyang lose face in front of her as well. Of course, there was another possibility—Liu Chang and Princess Qinghua’s marriage might have been settled, and Princess Qinghua wanted to thoroughly flaunt her victory in Mudan’s presence all day long before she’d be satisfied.

The estate Princess Qinghua mentioned was about a mile from the main road. The estate wasn’t very large, with not many buildings, but it had the advantage of an open view and an excellent polo field. Low walls had been built on three sides, red flags were planted all around, and the field surface was smooth, solid, and spotless. At that time, polo fields were set up in the imperial palace in the capital, in the residences of various princes and some high officials, and at government offices in various provinces—all equally elaborate. Therefore, though everyone praised this polo field upon seeing it, they weren’t particularly impressed.

Princess Qinghua’s party arrived relatively early. Though tables, chairs, wine, fruits, and other refreshments had already been arranged in the pavilions on both sides of the polo field, only a sparse few people sat chatting.

Princess Qinghua’s eyes darted around. She arranged Mudan and the others in the pavilion on the west side, while she herself led a group to the pavilion on the east side. The two groups faced each other from a distance, which actually made Li Manniang and the others breathe a sigh of relief.

Sumptuously dressed guests gradually entered and filled the empty seats. Mudan kept watching for Jiang Changyang but never saw him. Just as she was wondering whether he might not come at all, Princess Qinghua across the way had already risen and descended from the pavilion. Yu He gently nudged Mudan, signaling her to look at the ground floor across from them—Liu Chang, Pan Rong, and Jiang Changyang were just entering.

Princess Qinghua led the three upstairs and arranged their seating. She delayed calling for the banquet to begin, and the seat of honor remained empty, as if waiting for someone. After another while, Princess Qinghua, Liu Chang, and several others who appeared to be of noble status all went down to greet someone. Then several horses arrived below, and the foremost rider—a man wearing purple robes and a jade belt, with a large belly, about fifty-some years old—dismounted and was immediately surrounded by the crowd as they escorted him up to the east pavilion. As if receiving a command, people in both pavilions all stood up. Princess Qinghua yielded the seat of honor to this man, then announced the banquet would begin.

Li Manniang asked Madam Dou, “Do you know who this honored personage is?”

Madam Dou frowned and observed for a while before saying, “I don’t know.” Nearby, a young madam in a red gauze shirt overheard their discussion and kindly said, “This is the Prince of Fen, the current Emperor’s only surviving imperial uncle still living.”

At this point, dishes began to be served. The food brought up was roughly similar to what had been served at Liu Chang’s flower banquet that day. Mudan merely glanced at it before directing her attention across to the opposite pavilion. She saw Jiang Changyang standing before the Prince of Fen saying something, with Princess Qinghua beside him fanning herself and smiling, occasionally interjecting a word or two. That smile—no matter how you looked at it—was full of ill intent.

Suddenly she saw Jiang Changyang descend from the pavilion. Immediately after, someone led a horse forward, but he didn’t take the reins. Instead, he walked straight to the center of the polo field and bent down to place a stack of something on the ground. Everyone could see clearly—it was more than ten copper coins stacked together. Just as they were puzzling over this, Jiang Changyang had already mounted the horse, cupped his hands toward the Prince of Fen in salute, held the reins in one hand and gripped the polo mallet in the other, then spurred his horse forward.

The people in the west pavilion didn’t know what he intended to do and speculated among themselves. But they could see that in the east pavilion, everyone except the Prince of Fen had abandoned the banquet table and gone straight to the railing to lean over and look down, their faces full of excited anticipation. Princess Qinghua’s expression looked very displeased, while Pan Rong waved her sleeves and ran excitedly back and forth.

After Jiang Changyang rode around twice, he increased his speed and galloped toward the stack of coins. His mallet swung through the air in a semicircular arc. “Ding ling…” After a tremulous metallic clinking sound, a copper coin trailing a yellow gleam traced a beautiful arc through the air and flew out. Not far away, a gray-clothed child shrieked with extreme excitement, “One coin! One coin!”

The entire field fell silent. Then Jiang Changyang spurred his horse to gallop back, swung his mallet in a strike—another “ding ling” sound—and another copper coin flew out. The gray-clothed child shrieked again, “One coin!”

Such skill wasn’t merely a matter of quick eyes and swift hands—the speed of controlling the horse, the timing of swinging the mallet, the force applied, a calm state of mind—all were indispensable. The crowd had transformed from initial surprise to excitement, calling out praise in unison. Princess Qinghua’s expression grew increasingly unpleasant, while Pan Rong kept shouting and jumping as if she herself had performed the feat.

Jiang Changyang remained deaf to the cheers and calls of approval around him, galloping back and forth. Each time, neither more nor less, he struck exactly one copper coin flying. When it came to the last coin, he used more force and a larger swing than the previous times. After a light “ding ling” sound, the final copper coin traced a strange arc and flew straight toward the goal net erected to the south, penetrating through the netting.

A moment of silence fell. Jiang Changyang reined his horse to a stop, gracefully retrieved his polo mallet and laid it horizontally across his saddle. He turned to cup his hands in salute to everyone all around, his face bearing a confident and cheerful smile, his snow-white, even teeth gleaming brilliantly in the sunlight. The Prince of Fen’s narrowed eyes had now widened to their limit as he shouted “Excellent!” Twenty bolts of fine colored silk were presented on the spot as a prize to Jiang Changyang. For a moment, both the east and west pavilions erupted in boiling cheers.