"Husband, why are you here?"
Lin Qingge, who hadn't expected the other person to show up, instinctively hid his injured hand and arm behind his back.
In response, Leng Ningyue's clear, cold eyes, filled with reproach, met his, accompanied by a displeased snort:
"Hmph, if I didn't come, how would I know you were injured?"
"Madam, this official can explain!"
Lin Qingge's mouth opened, and only then did he belatedly notice that the other party was wearing the uniform of the Fengtian Prefecture's Cuju team, and instead of her usual veil, she wore a black face covering, similar to Ling Han and the others.
"Madam, you are..."
Indeed, three people wearing face coverings together gave the illusion that the face coverings were part of the team uniform.
"I just said, I came."
Lin Qingge repeated the words in his mind and, without hesitation, refused:
"No, this is too dangerous!"
Ye Shenxiao, who felt that this Lord Lin had a significantly large misunderstanding of his wife, nodded in agreement, "It is indeed too dangerous. I haven't eloped with little Yueyue yet, and I don't want to be charged with killing a prince."
Both Lin Qingge and Leng Ningyue glared at him simultaneously, scaring Ye Shenxiao into quickly covering his mouth.
Secretly making another note against Ye Shenxiao in his little black book, Lin Qingge turned and earnestly persuaded, "Madam, they resort to any means to win the match. If you get hurt by accident, what will Mo'er and I do?"
Hearing this, Leng Ningyue pulled Lin Qingge's arm out from behind him, her beautiful brows furrowed tightly:
"Then if you get hurt, won't Mo'er and I worry?"
"How is that the same? I—"
Leng Ningyue forcefully interrupted Lin Qingge, "Enough, I know you're doing this for my own good, but my mind is made up."
Hearing her unusually firm tone, Lin Qingge, feeling powerless, called Ling Han and the others over and instructed them repeatedly that winning the Cuju match was secondary; the most important thing was that his wife must not be bullied by those rascals!
The expressions of everyone present were quite subtle.
Since Cuju's purpose was to strengthen the body, there was no distinction between men and women, and the Cuju大会 (Cuju Tournament) had no explicit rule prohibiting women from participating.
However, due to differences in innate physique between genders, societal views, and potential physical contact during the game, there had never been a precedent for a woman to participate in the Cuju Tournament.
Looking at the woman standing on the opposite side, His Highness the Second Prince raised his eyebrows in surprise, "Oh ho, who is this beautiful young lady? Instead of serving a man at home, she's come out here to show herself! Could it be that the man at your home is inadequate? It's alright, if your man is inadequate, this Prince can satisfy you!"
With that, the flirtatious Second Prince reached out to touch her.
Leng Ningyue did not dodge, but the exposed beautiful eyes seemed to be coated with a layer of frost, as if they could freeze a person in the next moment.
However, just as the Second Prince's hand reached halfway, Lin Qingge slapped it away, "Satisfy your sister's satisfaction! This official's wife is none of your business, Your Highness the Second Prince. After all, if Your Highness the Second Prince is inadequate, this official is not!"
"Lin Jingxing—!"
The Second Prince, being contradicted again and again, was so angry that he called out his full name.
Lin Qingge responded infuriatingly, "This subordinate is here."
"You—"
The Second Prince, whose face had turned purple with anger, was about to erupt when Hua Jinrong stepped forward again and explained, "Your Highness the Second Prince, what Lord Lin means is that His Highness's useless candle wick, which looks good but is useless, need not be displayed in public so hastily, as no one is willing to watch anyway."
"You dare!!!"
The Second Prince roared, grinding his teeth. He was about to order someone to punish this sharp-tongued individual when the latter suddenly leaned close, pulled down his face covering, and then quickly put it back on.
But His Highness the Second Prince seemed struck by lightning, staring blankly in a daze. After a long while, he finally managed to find his voice with difficulty:
"H-How could it be you? No! Why are you here?"
Ignoring the other's outcry, Hua Jinrong instinctively took out the folding fan hidden in his sleeve and asked in return, "As a strategist for the Fengtian Prefecture, where else should this student be if not here?"
"Hmph!"
The Second Prince grunted and said nothing further. As if feeling somewhat short-changed by not pursuing the matter further, His Highness the Second Prince first glared fiercely at Hua Jinrong, then said haughtily, "Don't think this Prince is afraid of you! This Prince merely doesn't want to escalate the matter!"
After the brief interlude, the match continued. Perhaps having been put in his place by Lin Qingge and Hua Jinrong, as soon as the match began, the Second Prince kept winking at others, and his peripheral gaze was fixed on none other than the newly arrived Prefectural Governor's wife.
However.
Before His Highness the Second Prince could finish making his arrangements, he saw that Madam Lin had received the Cuju ball and was kicking it directly towards him...
!!!
Because the Cuju ball was moving much faster than expected, even though His Highness the Second Prince saw it, his body couldn't react in time.
*Bang—*
The Cuju ball fiercely struck the Second Prince's unsightly face. The force was so great that after hitting the Second Prince squarely in the face, the Cuju ball bounced high and was then caught steadily by Madam Lin, who had arrived nearby at some unknown time.
With a swift leg lift, she took a shot. Of course, this was not that kind of goal. Leng Ningyue treated the Fengliu Gate in the center of the field as a decoration and kicked the Cuju ball directly at the Second Prince again.
"Ouch—"
The Second Prince immediately let out a painful wail. However, the Cuju ball, which was causing him immense pain, did not stop with his cries; instead, it intensified. In a short while, the Second Prince had been kicked into a pulp.
The players from Shuntian Prefecture, snapping out of their stupor, rushed forward to save him, but were held back by Ling Han and the others. Unable to move, they could only appeal to His Highness the Eighth Prince on the elevated platform, "Your Highness the Eighth Prince, they are cheating!"
"Yes, they are cheating!"
Cuju is different from football. According to the regulations of the Great Xia Dynasty, a person cannot repeatedly kick the Cuju ball for an extended period.
Lin Qingge, marveling at his wife's masterful Cuju skills, retorted without restraint, "Are the two things above your noses merely for decoration? Where did this official's wife cheat? She clearly passed the Cuju ball to His Highness the Second Prince, and then His Highness the Second Prince kindly passed it back!"
Ignoring everyone's speechless expressions, Lin Qingge continued, "Tsk, tsk, as expected of His Highness the Second Prince! He would rather lose the match than lose the demeanor that the sons of our Great Xia should possess, personally practicing what 'ladies first' means! Such breadth of mind and bearing is truly a model for subordinates like us to learn from!"
...
Everyone's mouths twitched in unison, thinking that this Prefectural Governor had an incredible talent for blatant lies. Breadth of mind and bearing? Hadn't they seen His Highness the Second Prince's chest heaving violently, clearly breathing more in than out?