The crowd was large, and with so many people around, Fan Changyu and Xie Zheng were standing quite far apart. In the end, the two only exchanged a calm glance across the sea of people before she followed Qi Shu toward the palace hall to change.

On the men's side of the viewing stand, a eunuch stepped forward and called out, "The next match will include the Grand Princess, General Huaihua, Young Lord Shen, Prince Jianning… Are there any gentlemen willing to join the game?"

This was an excellent opportunity for the sons of noble families to curry favor with the powerful, and many young men eagerly volunteered with flushed faces.

Some who had already played earlier sighed regretfully.

"Why did the Princess only decide to play in this round?"

Someone beside him laughed.

"Young Lord Shen is handsome, charming, and one of the finest polo players around. Perhaps the Princess joined just to admire his skills."

Another lowered his voice, unable to hide his jealousy.

"Then what's left to watch? The Princess is of noble status, General Huaihua is unmatched in martial arts, and Young Lord Shen's polo skills are second to none. With the General and Young Lord Shen protecting her, this match is nothing more than a chance for the Princess to have some fun. By the end of it, perhaps the Princess and Young Lord Shen's marriage will already be settled."

Gongsun Yin glanced at Xie Zheng's strikingly conspicuous white robe and clicked his tongue before saying, "Xie Jiuheng, I've helped you more times than I can count over the years. How about returning me a favor today?"

Xie Zheng merely turned his head and gave him an indifferent glance.

—

The hall for changing clothes was not far from the polo grounds. The men's changing rooms were in the front hall, while the women's were in the rear, separated by a courtyard. Young eunuchs guarded the side gate to prevent anyone from wandering into the wrong area.

Fan Changyu had only been wearing a fitted martial outfit to begin with, so changing was simple. Qi Shu, however, wore an elaborate palace dress adorned with countless jeweled ornaments. Removing all her hairpins and arranging her hair again was a lengthy process. Seven or eight maids bustled around her, yet it would still take the better part of half an hour.

After changing into her crimson polo attire, Fan Changyu went out into the courtyard to wait.

She had never played polo before, but after watching several matches from the stands, she had already grasped the basic rules. The side hall had polo balls and mallets prepared, so she picked up a mallet and practiced a few swings to familiarize herself with the feel.

Today's match was a ten-player martial polo game. As long as no one deliberately injured another player, striking the ball from horseback and sending it through the goal counted as a score.

A carved stone lattice window stood along the courtyard wall. Since no one else was around, Fan Changyu decided to use it as a practice goal. She struck the ball toward one of its open patterns.

Her aim was remarkably precise. The fist-sized ball shot cleanly through the opening, drawing enthusiastic applause from the palace attendants nearby.

But the applause stopped almost immediately.

The ball that had flown through the window was caught on the other side by a large, well-defined hand.

The gentle afternoon breeze stirred the hem of the visitor's dark indigo riding robe. Veins stood out faintly on the hand that had caught the ball. Above the wrist was an auspicious-patterned bracer, while the narrow sleeve outlined the firm muscles of his forearm, filled with restrained strength.

Thinking she had accidentally hit someone, Fan Changyu hurried forward.

"I'm sorry…"

But as the man turned around, the rest of her apology caught in her throat.

Looking at Xie Zheng in his dark indigo riding attire, she asked in surprise, "You're playing polo too?"

The riding clothes suited him far better than the scholar's robe. His ink-black hair was completely bound beneath his crown. Though his expression remained calm and somewhat aloof, his exquisitely handsome features radiated confidence and youthful vigor, making it difficult to look away.

Xie Zheng slowly walked to the moon gate and tossed the ball back to her.

"I was asked by the officials to make up the numbers."

Fan Changyu caught the ball and immediately understood what he meant.

Most of the members on her and Qi Shu's team were members of the imperial family. If the opposing side lacked anyone of equal status, they would spend the entire match yielding to and flattering them, making the game meaningless.

Just as she was about to reply, another man's voice rang out from beyond the moon gate.

"Jiuheng! So you're here. I've been looking everywhere for you!"

The newcomer had handsome brows and bright eyes, always wearing a smile before he even spoke. It was Shen Shen.

After finding Xie Zheng, he noticed Fan Changyu practicing in the courtyard and laughed.

"I was wondering why a busy man like you suddenly found the leisure to play polo. Turns out you're accompanying General Huaihua!"

He was dressed in the same crimson riding outfit as Fan Changyu, clearly placing him on the same team as her and Qi Shu. He gave Xie Zheng's shoulder a hearty slap.

"Good! It's been years since we've played against each other. Let's settle who's better on the field today."

Perhaps his voice was simply too loud, because Qi Shu, who had just finished changing inside, stepped out and greeted them.

"Regent. General Shen."

Shen Shen's father had died young. By rights he should have inherited the title of Duke Shen, so many in court still addressed him as Young Lord Shen.

However, since he also held an official military post, many simply called him General Shen.

Shen Shen smiled brightly and cupped his fists.

"Greetings, Your Highness."

Qi Shu caught a fleeting glimpse of the dark indigo hem of Xie Zheng's robe disappearing beyond the carved window. A trace of disappointment flashed through her eyes before she smiled.

"I only joined today's match because I enjoy the excitement. My polo skills are truly lacking. I've heard General Shen's abilities are exceptional. Would you be willing to give me some pointers?"

Shen Shen was easygoing by nature and immediately agreed with a smile.

"It would be my pleasure."

Qi Shu then looked toward Xie Zheng.

"Changyu is playing polo for the first time as well. As for teaching your own wife… I'll leave that to the Regent."

She shot Fan Changyu a teasing smile before walking toward the front courtyard with Shen Shen, chatting cheerfully as the two carried their polo mallets.

Fan Changyu looked utterly puzzled. Once they had gone, leaving only herself and Xie Zheng standing there, she felt awkward.

"I think I've practiced enough…"

"The way you're swinging the mallet is wrong. On horseback, you'll injure yourself easily."

Xie Zheng interrupted her.

Fan Changyu blinked blankly at him.

He stepped behind her and gently wrapped his hand around the one holding the mallet.

"Keep your wrist level. Relax your waist. Don't tense up so much."

His warm palm enclosed her wrist, and when his other hand settled lightly against her waist, certain memories suddenly surged into her mind. Her body stiffened instinctively.

Xie Zheng lowered his eyes to look at her.

"What's wrong?"

Forcing herself to remain calm, Fan Changyu replied, "Nothing."

Fortunately, Xie Zheng truly was focused solely on teaching her.

With his guidance, the next ball she struck flew much farther than before. As the palace attendants ran outside the courtyard wall to retrieve it, Fan Changyu turned back with a bright smile.

"I didn't expect you to know how to play this too!"

A gentle breeze swept through the courtyard, sending clusters of white pagoda tree blossoms drifting softly to the ground. Several landed on Xie Zheng's robe, yet he made no move to brush them away. Instead, he reached out and plucked a tiny blossom from Fan Changyu's hair.

"Since A'Yu is happy now, will you come home with your husband today?"

Looking at the tall figure standing beneath the shower of blossoms, Fan Changyu recalled the conversations she had overheard while passing the viewing stands. The corners of her lips curved into a smile.

"That depends on how you perform on the field."

—

The polo match ultimately ended in disaster.

For some unknown reason, Qi Shu's horse suddenly bolted in fright, charging straight toward the viewing stands and throwing the entire arena into chaos.

Fan Changyu had been riding right beside her and would have been able to protect her.

However, seeing Qi Shu's horse panic, both Gongsun Yin and Shen Shen spurred their horses forward to rescue her as well. The three collided with one another instead, making matters worse.

Although Fan Changyu ultimately managed to save Qi Shu, both women were thrown from their horses. They narrowly avoided being trampled by the horses charging behind them, thanks only to Xie Zheng arriving in time to stop the panicked mount.

As for the two unfortunate heroes, Gongsun Yin and Shen Shen crashed into each other during the confusion, fell from their horses, and both broke a leg.

The polo match had originally been arranged to help Qi Shu choose a suitable consort, yet it had ended in complete chaos.

Yu Qianqian was overwhelmed, ordering attendants to escort the frightened noble ladies and married women back home while summoning the imperial physicians to examine the injured. At the same time, she demanded a thorough investigation into what had caused the horse to panic.

After investigating, the blame ultimately fell upon a young noblewoman.

The horse Qi Shu had ridden was the gentlest one in the entire stable. Originally, it had been reserved for a certain princess who was scheduled to play in that match. The noblewoman held a long-standing grudge against that princess, so she had secretly fed the horse medicated fodder shortly before the game.

Who could have expected Qi Shu to decide to join the match at the last minute? The princess had no choice but to give up her horse, leading to today's accident.

Yu Qianqian was furious.

Fortunately, when Fan Changyu and Qi Shu had fallen, Fan Changyu had wrapped herself around Qi Shu and rolled with her several times, dispersing much of the impact. Neither of them suffered any serious injuries.

Only Gongsun Yin and Shen Shen were hurt more severely.

By the time everything had been dealt with, dusk was already approaching. Fan Changyu returned to the Xie residence together with Changning and Xie Zheng.

—

After dinner, Fan Changyu finished bathing but couldn't find Xie Zheng anywhere. When she asked the servants, they informed her that he had gone to bathe in the washroom beside the study.

She found it rather strange.

Ever since their marriage, Xie Zheng had almost never deliberately avoided bathing with her by using the study's washroom.

As she headed over to look for him, she happened to run into Xie Eleven carrying a jar of medicinal wine inside.

Only then did she learn that Xie Zheng had injured his arm while stopping the frightened horse.

Fan Changyu dismissed Xie Eleven and personally carried the medicinal wine into the study.

Xie Zheng had already finished bathing. His hair was half dry, and dressed only in a thin inner robe, he sat beneath the candlelight concentrating on writing something at his desk.

Hearing footsteps, he looked up. The moment he saw the medicinal wine in her hands, he frowned slightly.

"The servants' tongues are becoming less reliable by the day."

Fan Changyu lazily raised her eyelids.

"If you want to raise a group of people who are loyal only to you, then go ahead."

Her barbed words made Xie Zheng chuckle as he set down his brush.

"Such a temper?"

Fan Changyu placed the medicinal wine on the desk and looked at him coolly.

"Why didn't you tell me you were injured?"

Xie Zheng replied with a smile, "If merely restraining a frightened horse injured my arm, what if A'Yu looked down on me and refused to come home with me?"

Even now, he was still joking.

Unable to help herself, Fan Changyu glared at him.

"Take your clothes off. I'll rub the medicine in."

She was genuinely angry.

Seeing that, Xie Zheng stopped teasing her. He removed his outer robe, revealing firm, honey-colored muscles beneath the candlelight.

His right arm was already badly swollen.

Two raw, abraded rings circled his upper arm where the skin had been rubbed away. Earlier, while wrestling the panicked horse under control, he had wrapped the reins tightly around his arm and strained against the animal's tremendous strength, leaving the injuries behind.

Fan Changyu poured some medicinal wine into her palm, rubbed her hands together to warm it, then slowly massaged it into the bruised flesh.

Frowning, she asked softly,

"Does it hurt?"

Her spring robe was thin. Having just bathed, she had loosely pinned up her long black hair. As she lowered her head to carefully massage his arm, a stray lock slipped free behind her ear, half concealing her fair earlobe in an unexpectedly alluring way. The faint fragrance of the soap she always used lingered on her body, blending with the sharp scent of the medicinal wine.

Watching her furrowed brows beneath the candlelight, Xie Zheng suddenly felt his heart grow incomparably warm.

He hadn't drunk a drop of wine, yet he felt slightly intoxicated.

Smiling faintly, he answered,

"It doesn't hurt."

Fan Changyu sighed helplessly.

"You…"

After finishing, she noticed that he was still wearing the same snow-white scholar's robe from earlier that day.

"Why did you wear a scholar's robe today?"

Xie Zheng lowered his phoenix eyes.

"I'd never worn one before. I wanted to try it."

Then he looked at her and asked,

"Does it look good?"

Fan Changyu nodded honestly.

"It does."

He truly looked handsome in scholar's robes as well.

A strange light flickered in Xie Zheng's eyes. Pulling his robe back over the shoulder she had just treated, he smiled faintly.

"If A'Yu likes it, then I'll wear it more often from now on."

Yet somehow…

There was very little genuine amusement in his eyes.

Fan Changyu found his behavior increasingly odd.

"That… isn't necessary…"

Xie Zheng's gaze deepened.

Without saying another word, he pulled her into his lap and rested his chin lightly on her shoulder.

"Do you remember this copy of The Tiger Strategy, A'Yu?"

Only after sitting before the desk did Fan Changyu notice that he had been writing annotations throughout the pages. Judging by the thickness of the volume, he was nearly finished.

Xie Zheng kissed the back of her neck.

"When I tested your knowledge of military strategy last time, there were many parts you didn't fully understand. Once I've finished annotating it, read through it carefully again."

The moment he mentioned that incident, Fan Changyu shot him a fierce glare.

"There won't be a next time!"

A quiet laugh escaped him behind her.

"What are you thinking? I simply felt that I failed my duty by not annotating the entire Six Secret Teachings for you. Besides The Tiger Strategy, I'll make time to annotate the other five volumes as well."

Fan Changyu suddenly looked rather embarrassed.

Staring at the meticulous notes filling the pages, she said,

"I think I already have an annotated copy of The Tiger Strategy in my collection…"

Fan Changyu suddenly looked a little embarrassed.

Looking at the dense, detailed annotations covering the pages, she scratched her head and said, "I seem to remember having another copy of The Tiger Strategy in my collection."

Back then, there had been many parts of the military texts she couldn't understand on her own, so she had spent a fortune hiring several military advisers. Whenever they tried explaining military strategy to her, they looked as though they wanted to smash their heads against a pillar in frustration. Feeling rather guilty about putting them through that, she had eventually asked them to annotate the military books for her instead.

As for the military texts Li Huai'an had given her, she had handed them to her subordinates almost as soon as she received them. She barely remembered which volumes he had gifted her.

Later, when Zheng Wenchang returned The Tiger Strategy, she had casually asked Xie Five to put it on the bookshelf. When she came across it again afterward, she had simply assumed it was one of the annotated copies prepared by the advisers she had hired. She had long since forgotten that Li Huai'an had ever given her any military books.

When Xie Zheng heard her words, however, his expression grew even colder.

Smiling faintly, he said, "Really? I didn't see it when I organized your books. Perhaps it was lost during the move."

Hearing that, Fan Changyu thought nothing more of it.

She was just about to stand up when the man behind her tightened his arms around her waist instead of letting go. At the same time, he began placing slow, lingering kisses against the back of her neck, making his intentions unmistakably clear.

Startled, Fan Changyu glared at him with a trace of annoyance.

"Your arm is injured!"

Xie Zheng left a crimson mark on the side of her neck before lifting his head. His eyes were as dark as midnight, his voice soft, almost as though he were negotiating with her. Yet the faint smile at the corner of his lips carried an unmistakable hint of temptation.

"Then… A'Yu, be a little kinder and indulge your husband this once?"

Desire wasn't especially obvious in his eyes.

Instead, they concealed something far deeper.

Fan Changyu was left speechless by his shameless request. In the end, she couldn't bring herself to struggle too hard for fear of worsening his injury.

By the time everything was over, she lay weakly across the desk, her long hair cascading down around her as she slowly caught her breath. The robes beneath them had become hopelessly wrinkled.

Xie Zheng kissed her gently on the cheek before heading to the washroom to fetch water for her.

Once Fan Changyu had recovered a little strength, she stood up. As she did, her sleeve accidentally knocked a scroll from the desk.

Bending down to pick it up, she noticed another book wedged beneath one corner of the desk to steady it.

Looking closely at the title on the cover, she saw two unmistakable characters:

The Tiger Strategy.

She looked at the newly annotated copy Xie Zheng had prepared for her, then at the old volume propping up the desk.

Curious, she pulled the second book out as well.

When Xie Zheng returned, he found her comparing the two copies beneath the candlelight.

Hearing his footsteps, she looked up at him in confusion.

"Didn't you say this copy was lost?"

Without changing expression in the slightest, Xie Zheng replied calmly,

"It was. Where did you find it?"

Fan Changyu's face darkened.

"Xie Jiuheng, do you take me for a fool? Weren't you the one using it to prop up the desk?"

The servants would never dare use one of the books from his study for something like that.

Only he could have done it.

Xie Zheng answered with complete composure.

"So it was being used to prop up the desk? I'd forgotten."

Fan Changyu stared at him for a long while, utterly speechless.

After thinking it over again and again, she still couldn't understand.

"What exactly did this military book ever do to offend you?"

Thinking back to how he had questioned her on its contents and then tormented her endlessly afterward, she suddenly felt the problem must somehow lie with this very book.

Hearing her question, Xie Zheng looked at her silently for quite some time.

In the end, he merely smiled faintly and said,

"It didn't offend me."

Fan Changyu knew at once.

Xie Zheng was angry.

When he was angry, he never gave her the cold shoulder. He still answered every question she asked, but his tone remained cool and detached, and the faint smile on his face only made her increasingly uneasy.

Even by the time they went to bed, Fan Changyu still couldn't figure out what had happened. Every time she asked, Xie Zheng simply replied lightly that it was nothing.

If it really were nothing, he wouldn't be acting like this.

Inside the dark bed curtains, Fan Changyu glanced at the man lying beside her. His breathing was slow and even, as though he had already fallen asleep.

In the end, she let out a quiet sigh, closed her eyes, and forced herself to sleep.

Perhaps because the day had been so exhausting, she drifted off almost immediately.

In the middle of the night…

She was awakened by him.

Everything felt hot, damp, and stifling.

The man behind her seemed to know she was awake, yet he said nothing. His broad chest and powerful arms imprisoned her so tightly that she couldn't move at all, while his movements beneath her were relentless.

At first, Fan Changyu managed to endure it in silence.

But in the end, no matter how tightly she bit her lip, several muffled moans escaped. Her fingers nearly tore through the bedcovers.

He turned her face toward him and kissed her.

The kiss was fierce and almost punishing, carrying both resentment and frustration.

…

Because of the incident with the frightened horse, both Fan Changyu and Xie Zheng requested leave from court the following morning.

When Fan Changyu woke up, Xie Zheng had already left the room. The servants had kept breakfast warm for her.

After hearing that Gongsun Yin's broken leg meant he would be unable to continue teaching at Chongwen Hall for the time being, Changning was terribly disappointed. Fan Changyu comforted her, then learned that Xie Zheng had gone to the study again.

Considering the strange atmosphere between them, she decided not to go over immediately.

Ever since Xie Zheng had questioned him that day, Xie Five had noticed the tension between the couple. At last, he found an opportunity to tell Fan Changyu the truth about the military book.

When Fan Changyu learned that the annotations in The Tiger Strategy had actually been written by Li Huai'an, she froze.

"I… I thought those were written by the military advisers I hired…"

Xie Five looked as though he were about to cry.

"No… They were written by Young Master Li."

Fan Changyu suddenly felt a headache coming on.

Only then did she finally understand why Xie Zheng had been acting so strangely these past few days.