Insufficient balance

  It is a great honor to attend the state banquet at Linde Hall. Ordinary people can boast for a lifetime if they can have a meal inside. However, for imperial relatives like Xue Chongxun, it's quite ordinary. Every festive season, he can enter and have a meal, watching the performances of songs and dances. The Ming Palace has tens of thousands of beauties, but the nobles in the palace enjoy Hu dance, so many times they perform programs with exotic flavors.

  Xue Chongxun actually didn't like watching Hu Wu dance, always spinning around in circles, after a long time it would create a dizzy illusion.

  It's a grand festival, and today the Da Ming Palace is bustling with excitement. The music and dance are in perfect harmony, reflecting a peaceful and prosperous world. Almost everyone is in high spirits, having finished the national banquet, there's also a polo match, which is something that everyone enjoys immensely, even just watching it brings great joy.

  An hour after the banquet, the long-awaited polo match began to prepare, and it was held in the square in front of Linde Hall. The spectators were counted in tens of thousands, including royal relatives, court officials, palace women, eunuchs, and foreign envoys, all came to watch the game. In recent years, it is rare to have the opportunity to see such a high-level polo match, and people are reluctant to miss it.

  Since Emperor Li Dan ascended to the throne, there has not been a large-scale Cuju match held. This is the first time because Emperor Li Dan himself is not enthusiastic about Cuju. The previous emperors were all very fond of it and would often hold one.

  The main event was the "Peng" composed of the Huben Army and the team that came with the Tubo envoy, a national-level competition. Cuju is a relatively luxurious sport, not everyone has the conditions to practice well, generally only nobles can afford it; also because the regular training project of the Forbidden Army includes Cuju, the army is strong and powerful, so the high standard of Cuju is either the royal family or the Forbidden Army.

  Linde Hall had a venue of about 1,000 steps in front of the hall, and the field was filled with sand to prevent injuries. However, when horses ran on the sandy ground, dust flew everywhere, requiring it to be wetted down, sometimes with water, but the palace's ball court used oil, which was even more luxurious.

  At one end of the field, there are two wooden pillars with a ball door embedded with wooden boards. The lower part of the board has an opening for the ball room, and whoever hits the fist-sized ball into it wins; of course, there are some simple rules in between, otherwise playing ball would become fighting.

  On the north side, a high platform was set up as an observation deck, with yellow umbrellas and feather fans on it. The emperor sat in the middle, with the empress, concubines, crown prince, princes, and princesses sitting beside him; next to the main platform was a slightly shorter secondary platform, where the Tubo envoys and court officials were seated. Taiping Princess, Xue Chongjian's mother, was also on the high platform, but Xue Chongjian and his brothers could only watch from below.

  He looked up and searched with his eyes, only to see Princess Jincheng also above, but she didn't seem to have noticed Xue Chongxun, probably having already forgotten that she had met someone like Xue Chongxun. A hint of loss suddenly emerged in Xue Chongxun's heart.

  Just then, a burst of thunderous applause was heard, and when Xue Chongxun turned his head to look at the court, he saw that the Datang Youlin Military Team had put on new uniforms, tied up their horse tails, held ball rackets and rode into the field. The applause lasted for a long time, and people's enthusiasm could be seen.

  Such cheers would erupt from time to time when the game started, and since the ball was held in the Daming Palace, the home advantage was still good, and the atmosphere had already won over the Tibetans.

  But such cheers did not last long, and people were stunned. Less than a quarter of an hour after the game started, the Tubo people scored two goals in a row. The ball skills of these people are very fierce, and the Tang Dynasty people were rushed to have no power to fight back.

  The Tubo envoy on the other side burst out laughing "Haha" with great pleasure.

  At this time, people can't stand such a one-sided show, and the one being abused is their own person. Watching it naturally doesn't feel good, many people shouted "Sanlang, change Sanlang to go on stage".

  Sanlang was naturally the Crown Prince Li Longji. One time, he hit a ball in the palace and won against ten people with just four people, so everyone knew that Li Longji's ball skills were very fierce and they shouted his name to turn the tide around.

  Emperor Li Dan raised his hand to calm down the noise of the crowd and said to Li Longji beside him, "You go down and participate, don't spoil everyone's fun."

  Li Longji knelt down and clasped his fists, saying: "Your son obeys your orders."

  He soon changed into a tight-sleeved robe, black boots on his feet; he wore a hood on his head and held a crescent-shaped ball cane in his hand, entering the court with a majestic appearance. The crowd immediately reignited their hopes and cheered again.

  Only to see Li Longji riding a tall horse, galloping like lightning into the midst of it all, running back and forth, his spirit was extraordinary, the atmosphere became lively once again. The one shouting the loudest was a woman. When Xue Chongxun looked up, it turned out to be Princess Li Yan'er. Li Yan'er obviously admired her uncle very much, she was jumping up and down with excitement, "The Emperor's brother is the most powerful, he defeated the Tubo people!"

  Unfortunately, this time Li Longji's luck was no longer there. The skills of those Tubo people were extraordinary, and they must have been carefully selected and trained for a long time before being sent to Chang'an. Xue Chongxun was also a fan of polo, and in the past when the political situation was not so tense, he often practiced martial arts and played polo, so it was easy to see that this time the Tubo people's level was higher than anyone who had come to Chang'an before.

  Li Longji fought hard for nearly three incense sticks, but still couldn't find the door, and both sides fell into a stalemate, with neither side able to gain the upper hand.

  Just then, a Tubo man's horse suddenly rushed to the shoulder of Li Longji's horse, and the horse turned sideways, throwing Li Longji off. The surrounding area was in an uproar. A team of cavalry rushed up, rescued Li Longji, brought him back, and the competition was suspended.

  Li Longji seemed to be fine, but when he dismounted his horse, he limped and appeared to have suffered a minor injury on his leg. The Tibetan envoy shouted: "It was just a slight collision, not a deliberate crash, it doesn't count as a foul!"

  Li Dan anxiously asked: "Third Brother, are you alright?"

  Li Longji said with a bitter face: "Tell Father Emperor, I'm fine, I was just careless earlier. It wasn't supposed to fall."

  Li Dan smiled magnanimously: "No big deal, as long as no one was hurt. It's just a game of cuju, winning or losing is common in military affairs. Our Great Tang still has some dignity."

  The Tubo people listened and said with a fist: "Your Majesty is kind and generous, making us extremely respectful. Haha......" He was very pleased when he finally laughed.

  At this moment, Wu Er Lang, who was resting on the edge of the court, rode his horse to the stage and knelt down to report: "Your Majesty, I beg my elder brother, Wei Guo Gong, to come on stage, please grant your permission."

  Li Dan looked around for a while and didn't see Xue Chongxun sitting anywhere, so he asked: "Has Mr. Xue arrived?"

  Xue Chongxun then came out and knelt down, saying: "Your subject is here."

  The Princess Taiping sitting beside him said: "Chongxun was injured last month, and he hasn't fully recovered yet. Brother Emperor, don't let him go up there to struggle."

  Li Dan loved listening to his sister's words and was about to speak when Xue Chongxun suddenly said loudly, "I am willing to go on stage, please Your Majesty grant me permission."

  "Older brother, you should have come earlier!" Takezo exclaimed with delight.

  "Taiping Princess asked: "Chongxun, is it really okay to be so careless with your life?"

  Xue Chongxun said: "Mother, I'm physically strong and have been fine for a long time, it's okay."

  Taiping Princess nodded, she actually wanted to see the people she liked showing off. At first, Li Longji loved showing off and she was very happy... but now Li Longji had grown up and become her opponent. Li Dan saw this and said: "Good, I'll let you take the stage."

  "Thanks to the Emperor." Xue Chongxun responded with a single word, then got up to change his clothes and equipment. Xue Chongxun was actually not one to seek to be in the limelight, but today he thought about the marriage between Princess Jincheng and the Tibetan king, and seeing the Tibetans being arrogant and looking for trouble, he felt uneasy and had to fight back.

  Xue Chongxun soon rode out, wearing a suit of armor, his posture straight and majestic, looking very heroic on horseback. He was originally quite handsome and tall, just a bit dark-skinned, but now he had changed into a new set of clothes, with a helmet covering his face, completely transforming his appearance. Wu Erlang and the others were all wearing soft hats, but Xue Chongxun wore a steel helmet, thinking that when riding a horse it was better to protect one's head as much as possible, just like when riding a motorcycle.

  Seeing Xue Chongxun's handsome and elegant appearance, Taiping Princess also had a proud smile on her face, as if to say that the son she gave birth to was not inferior to Li Sanlang.

  Xue Chongxun rode onto the field on horseback, suddenly raised his spear and shouted loudly: "I fight for Princess Jincheng of Great Tang!"

  "Ah!" The square suddenly erupted in a flurry of noise. Li Yan'er, the little princess who had threatened to chop off Xue Chongxun's head with her knife that morning, was also extremely surprised. She turned her head back to look at Jin Cheng, only to see his face flush with a red glow, shyly lowering his head as everyone stared at him.

  Li Yan'er muttered in a low voice: "Hateful black charcoal, pretending to be serious will definitely not win!"

  The ball game started again, Xue Chongxun was completely unlike Li Longji's elegance. He looked a bit clumsy riding his horse and running around, with an ordinary and unimpressive appearance. The crowd took one look at him and didn't hold out much hope, slowly quieting down and watching the field with some disinterest, as if waiting for Tubo to score.

  Xue Chongxun was slow and sluggish, wandering around the periphery, not chasing after the ball quickly. He looked like he was absent-minded. The Tang people's disadvantage couldn't be turned around, with most of the time controlling the ball in the hands of the Tubo people.

  Just then, a commander of the Feathered Forest Army picked up the ball and Xue Chongxun shouted: "Pass!" The commander hesitated for a moment before passing it to Xue Chongxun.

  Xue Chongxun immediately sprang into action like a startled rabbit, shouting: "Second brother, protect my right flank!" Wu Erlang hastily rode his horse to catch up with Xue Chongxun.

  Two riders galloped like flying, like arrows shot from a bow, their momentum was unstoppable, and several Tibetan players tried to intercept the ball but failed.

  The hole on the wooden board was getting closer and closer, Xue Chongxun's pupils contracted, his attention focused, and his hand movement of hitting the ball was decisive and neat to the extreme.

  He's made his move! The entire world had come to a standstill in Xue Chongxun's heart, with not a sound around him. In reality, the spectators were all holding their breaths as they waited for the outcome.

  "Bang!" This shot was almost perfect in timing and strength, the hollow wooden ball flew out a beautiful arc in mid-air and went straight into the goal.

  A moment of silence, the whole field immediately boiled up, many people stood up, and some were so excited that they jumped straight. This is Tang Renjin's first goal today. "Xue Lang! Xue Lang......" The shouting was endless.

  The Princess of Peace on the stage clapped her hands and laughed loudly. The Tibetan envoy looked at each other in dismay, saying: "It seems like we've won, but haven't we already won two games?"

  "Brother, I'm in awe! Just now when we two brothers charged forward together, the wind was howling, it was exhilarating!"

  Xue Chongxun smiled and turned back to the Weilin Army general who had passed the ball, cupping his fists in gratitude: "Thanks for passing the ball on time just now."

  The general on horseback bowed and said: "Wei Linjun Duhou Chen Dahutu, hoping to have the opportunity to strike together with Weiguo Gong."

  After a brief adjustment, the game started again. This time, the Tibetan people did not dare to underestimate their opponent, staring at Xue Chongxun without letting go, making him feel frustrated for a while.

  Finally, the ball came to the Tang Dynasty's side again. Chen Dahu did not hesitate this time and decisively hit the ball to Xue Chongxun. Xue Chongxun was overjoyed and shouted: "Brothers, it's time to charge!"

  Wu Erlang immediately came up to protect Xue Chongxun's right wing, and Chen Dahu and others also came up to defend. The Tang people completely abandoned their insertion and cooperation, and they galloped straight towards the goal together, entrusting Xue Chongxun with a ball that must be scored.