It's September 18, and the time for the polo match is set for the 20th of next month, and there are still a month and two days, which seems to be a lot of time, but a polo match requires twenty-four players to participate.

In ancient times, polo was based on Keju, but this kind of confrontation was much more intense than Kemari.

The staffing is also according to the standard of Keju, with groups of 12 people, each with a club more than two meters long in their hands, and is carried out on a large grass.

In addition, because this kind of activity requires the participants' physical strength, equestrian and batting skills to be very high, and the danger is also very high, it is generally only carried out in the army, and is rarely carried out by the people.

After the founding of the Great Sui Dynasty, the country was more advocating force, and the children of the nobles were more likely to practice martial arts, and most of the children of the family were skilled in bowing and horses, and everyone gradually fell in love with this dangerous, exciting and elegant activity.

In the eastern capital and Daxing City, there are many family langs who play polo well, among which the most outstanding are the sons of Yuwen Mansion and the sons of Tang Guogong, Li Family Dalang was built, and Erlang Shimin are all masters, among which Li Erlang is particularly outstanding, and the ball skills of Yang Jin, the king of Qi, are not bad.

Although the nobles of the family also have people who practice riding and shooting, the level is far worse than that of Langjun, and sometimes Queen Dugu is alive, because of her temperament, the atmosphere of the nobles in the capital is more open than now, and there are many noblewomen who practice riding and shooting like Langjun at that time.

After Emperor Yang ascended the throne, he preferred gentle, charming and obedient women, Empress Xiao was virtuous, and everything was based on the Son of Heaven, and the standards of nobles gradually turned to chastity and tranquility.

For this reason, in recent years, there have been fewer and fewer noblewomen practicing martial arts in Daxing and Dongdu.

However, less does not mean that there is none, some of the daughters of military generals, who love bow and horse martial arts, and whose parents love their daughters more, will not prohibit it, after all, Emperor Yang of Sui has never made a clear decree not to let women go out, nor has he forbidden women to practice martial arts.

Under this premise, together with the married little ladies, led by the princess and presided over by the queen, it is not a big problem to hold a polo match.

A polo match of twenty-four people, a group of twelve people, the tacit understanding between the players takes a long time, plus the selection of people, a month and two days is really not much.

If it weren't for the time to push back further, the weather would get colder and colder, and once it snowed and the ground froze, the event would not be easy to carry out, and Queen Xiao and Princess Ruyi were afraid that the event would be postponed for more than ten days.

The climate of Luoyang, the eastern capital, is still early winter in October, the climate is not cold, there is no special weather, this time will neither snow, nor will the road surface freeze, and the clothes do not need to be too bulky, and it is just right to hold a polo match at this time.

Empress Xiao personally announced the ball game in public at the palace banquet, and there were many people who were interested, but it was impossible to register at the palace banquet, and those who wanted to participate had to go home and discuss it with their families.

For this reason, Empress Xiao handed over the matter to Princess Ruyi, and Princess Ruyi proposed to let Li Xiuning, the referee with the highest martial arts skills and the best polo play among the nobles in Kyoto, help her take charge of this matter.

The reason is that with Li Xiuning's level and the contestants selected by her help, this event will definitely play very exciting, and it can show the majesty and grandeur of the Luoyang nobles.

Empress Xiao readily agreed, in the face of such a high hat, Li Xiuning couldn't refuse, she and Princess Ruyi had a little total, and told everyone that those who were interested in signing up would come to sign up within three days.

Then, according to the applicants, 24 qualified contestants will be selected openly.

After confirming this, the dinner continued, and the time for the banquet was almost the end of the hour, and it was not early at this hour, and the emperor had not yet finished the banquet, and the gentlemen who participated in the banquet did not come out.

The gentlemen didn't come out, and the female guests couldn't stay here and wait, everyone went out of the palace gate, and each got into their own carriage, and was escorted home by their own family guards and maids.

Although Chai Mansion and Li Mansion are not in the same direction, they can come out of the palace gate, and there are still more than two miles of road together, Li Xiuning has not talked to the eldest grandson and little lady for a while, and took advantage of the fact that there is a section of the same road, so he got into her and Zheng's carriage.

After getting into the carriage, Li Xiuning said with some emotion: "I really didn't expect that the queen, who has always been gentle and virtuous, would have such a competitive heart." ”

"Niangniang is the queen, for a well-educated girl from a family, if she wants to sit firmly and sit in this position, virtuousness is what she must do, but this does not mean that the queen has no true temperament."

There were only her, Zheng and Li Xiuning in the carriage, and the eldest grandson and little lady didn't have so many scruples when she spoke, and after listening to Li Xiuning's emotion, she answered with a smile.

"You can see through it, but that's right, the position of the queen is really not easy to sit in, especially if you want to be a virtuous queen." Li Xiuning was stunned when he heard this, and then shook his head a little stunned.

Because she had worshiped the Master since she was a child, and she had an extraordinary mother, her education was completely different from that of ordinary noblewomen, and when she was still in the boudoir, she was one of the few noble ladies in the east and west who lived freely.

After getting married, even if her husband and mother-in-law are more tolerant of her, her life is far less free and wanton than in the boudoir.

"By the way, in this polo match, Princess Ruyi publicly called your name, obviously trying to compete with you, have you figured out how to face it?" Li Xiuning was silent for a while, shook off the sadness in his heart, and then changed his words.

"I'll do my best, if I still can't beat the princess despite my might, I don't think she will taunt and blame me." The eldest grandson smiled slightly, and said that she didn't care much about it, but she didn't worry about it.

"You're really, hey, you're only fourteen this year, and I don't know how your quiet and sophisticated temperament was cultivated." Li Xiuning looked at her for a long time and couldn't help but laugh dumbly.

Outsiders don't know the eldest grandson's skills, but she knows that this girl has never let go of riding and archery kung fu since she was seven years old.

In addition to reading female celebrities every day, he has to spend at least an hour practicing riding and archery, even in the years of his uncle's house.

In terms of kung fu of riding and archery and playing polo, in the entire Eastern Capital, except for herself and Han Sanniang, it is almost difficult to find someone more outstanding than her. But she acts introverted, never shows it in front of outsiders, and there are really few people who know her ability.

Ruyi has been favored by the emperor since she was a child, and she admired Li Xiuning when she was a child.

But she has been a collection of three thousand pets since she was a child, she has never suffered hardship, she has not done real hard work when she learns to ride, and the master of martial arts has no strict requirements for her, her kung fu is mostly fancy, and she really wants to compete with the eldest grandson, but it is much inferior.

However, the polo match is not a single event, but a confrontation between two teams, with Ruyi's identity, she must be the captain of a certain team, and the members of her team are naturally the strongest.

The eldest grandson has never liked to compete with others, and in the face of Princess Ruyi, he naturally will not steal the limelight from her.

"My sister has won the prize, and she is far worse than me from you." The eldest grandson and the little lady were praised for her prettyness, and her face was slightly red.