The Yelv Family men surrounding the field also began to shout.

Although not numerous, they made a commotion as if many had arrived.

These men were sturdy and well-built, with a steady stance, their dress and build quite different from the men of Daxing.

The spectators mainly consisted of students from the Imperial College, still wearing their college uniforms.

At this time, as the sun set in the west, the arena grew dim, shadows of people and horses mingling. Qin Yuan suddenly couldn’t find Treasure Bead’s figure and could only ask Gu Jinghui beside her, "Is Treasure Bead still on the field?"

Marquis Gu said, "Yes, the one surrounded in the middle is her."

Then he shouted.

"Oh! That was close!"

They almost stole the ball.

The crowd followed with a commotion.

As everyone was exclaiming, the leading Yelv woman with a red scarf flashed a fierce look and steered her horse directly toward Treasure Bead’s horse’s head.

"Scoundrel!"

Gu Jinghui clenched his fists, wishing he could get on the field and knock that woman down himself.

Qin Yuan watched, her heart in her throat.

The most taboo in polo is such a dirty trick; one careless moment and being unseated can easily lead to being trampled by hooves.

"Too much, Yelv Clan is truly savage! Truly despicable!"

The usually refined Sixth Master Gu couldn’t help but curse.

In a split second, Treasure Bead leaned to the side of the horse, clinging to the horse’s belly, causing the horse to veer and trot away, avoiding the red-scarfed horse’s head.

This maneuver drew cheers from the students.

The guards of Dingbei Marquis Mansion also shouted, "Seventh Miss, well done."

Gu Jinghui sighed, "Once she returns, she must be thoroughly trained in martial arts."

Qin Yuan, anxious, kept her eyes on the field, ignoring his murmurs.

Treasure Bead returned to the saddle, her nimble form pleasing to the eye. Qin Yuan couldn’t help but praise, "Treasure Bead’s riding skills are quite impressive."

Gu Jinghui, however, said, "Just a minor skill, I’m afraid her stamina is lacking and she won’t last long."

As he spoke, the situation on the field abruptly changed.

The red-scarfed rider almost collided with her own team, forcefully reined in the horse, retreating to the edge, and let out a perplexing yell.

Her teammates swiftly changed tactics, purposely surrounding and raiding the outstanding hitters of the Da Xing Team, some plotting dirty tricks, some charging, some snatching the ball, disrupting Da Xing’s defense.

Amid the polo strikes, violent collisions ensued repeatedly.

The battle intensified, with many of Da Xing’s horses sustaining some injuries, and their movements became sluggish.

Qin Yuan sighed.

And this was the Yelv Clan holding back.

Yelv Guza had no desire to make enemies of the other noblewomen.

Otherwise, injuries might have already occurred.

Qin Yuan said, "We should find a way to stop this match."

Someone nearby said, "I’m afraid not, both teams signed a Life and Death Document, and won’t stop until there’s a winner."

Qin Yuan turned her head, seeing no one.

"Here."

Following the sound, Qin Yuan looked down to see Qin Heng had somehow squeezed in, looking up at her.

The siblings hadn’t met for some time, with Qin Heng seemingly having grown taller.

But as she sat on the horse, she wasn’t quite sure.

Qin Yuan asked, "Why haven’t you been to the Marquis Mansion lately?"

Qin Heng scratched his head and said, "Didn’t Mom and Second Sister tell you? Recently, I tripped on flat ground, fell off the ladder in the Library while copying poems, hurt my wrist, and have been healing for days. Mom had a fortune-teller, Lu the Blind, calculate my fate and said my fire element is weak this month, prone to accidents, so I had to avoid funerals."

Qin Yuan pursed her lips and said, "Being so fragile, didn’t father suspect you of slacking off deliberately?"

Qin Heng said with grievance, "Of course he did, there was no way to refute it, no way to clear my name. In the end, Mom got angry and yelled at him to let me rest and help again when I recover."

Qin Yuan comforted him a bit, then asked, "Where’s Cousin Si Yuan?"

Qin Heng lifted his chin and nodded toward the opposite side, "He’s there watching."

Qin Yuan shaded her eyes with her hand and squinted to barely make out a figure, then asked, "Who’s that beside him? So large, looks like a big black ox."

Qin Heng pursed his lips, "That person thinks hiding will keep him unnoticed, but all those Yelv people surrounding him must be Yelv Guza, the Yelv hostage. With that brute strength, even in wide-sleeved robes, he doesn’t resemble our Da Xing people."

Qin Yuan didn’t respond, instead asking, "Why did they start fighting?"

On this subject, Qin Heng’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

"I don’t know, by the time I heard, both sides were already looking for players, and it was the Martial Arts Academy who suggested their field was big enough, so it was set here. I hurried over as soon as I heard."

Watching Qin Yuan on horseback, Qin Heng said enviously, "Sister, your riding has greatly improved, and Sister Baozhu’s riding is excellent too. If I could ride more often, I’d be good as well."

By now, the atmosphere on the field had become even more tense. Being the instigator of this match, and an excellent rider, the Yelv people focused more on surrounding Treasure Bead.

The onlookers outside couldn’t help shouting.

The Da Xing people cursed them for their ruthlessness and dirty play.

The Yelv people howled for them to quickly unhorse their opponents.

Several horses circled Treasure Bead’s steed, occasionally swinging polo mallets for a sneak attack. Treasure Bead’s horse grew restless, occasionally letting out a whinny.

Qin Yuan grew anxious and immediately said, "Marquis, they can’t keep competing, if anything happens..."

The malicious intent behind this match was now obvious.

Treasure Bead is young and cannot handle provocations; they cannot just watch her get hurt.

Qin Heng also clenched his fists nervously, pressed them to his lips, and sat rigidly, fearing to see Treasure Bead fall under the hooves of the Yelv people.

Gu Jinghui, however, calmly said, "Don’t worry, just watch for now."

Sixth Master Gu could hold back no longer.

"Third Brother, find a way to get Treasure Bead down. Even if you need to teach her a lesson, this isn’t the time."

Gu Jinghui kept a cold face without speaking, his sharp eyes unwaveringly fixed on the field’s activity.

On the field, Treasure Bead’s horse reared up, front hooves lifted, only the two rear hooves supporting its massive body, nostrils flaring, heavily snorting, clearly frightened and about to go wild.

Treasure Bead seemed glued to the horse’s back, clutching the reins tightly, refusing to be thrown off.

The guards nearby grew anxious.

"Marquis, this horse is spooked, if it continues, even if Seventh Miss doesn’t fall, the other ladies’ horses might be affected. Their riding skills might not match Seventh Miss’s."

If an accident happens, blame might fall on Seventh Miss.

Gu Jinghui’s face was as cold as ice, eyes locked on the field, hoarsely saying, "No hurry, let’s see how long Treasure Bead can hold."

At this moment, those surrounding Treasure Bead dared not get too close and gave space.

Outside was a dead silence.

Inside, the frenzied whinnies of the horse gripped everyone’s hearts.