Chapter 58: An Invitation

Every day at dawn these days, the polo players of the Anxi Army began training on the polo field, located in a residential area. Their training quickly attracted onlookers from the surrounding neighborhoods. At first, each player hit dozens of balls to get familiar with the field. Soon, warhorses galloped across the field as players struck the balls into the holes while running at high speed. Some balls were thrown from as far as forty steps away, even sixty steps away. Their skillful play frequently drew applause from the spectators.

Li Fei Yuanli led several soldiers to patrol around the field, tasked with preventing opponents from spying. In reality, this was difficult to prevent—opponents could simply disguise themselves as ordinary people to observe the Anxi Army’s tactics and the characteristics of each player. Similarly, the Anxi Army could also send people to gather information about their opponents. Just like a battlefield, knowing oneself and the enemy ensures victory in every battle. Last night, they held a meeting to discuss this, assigning the task of spying to He Yanming, who had just been promoted to captain.

As dawn approached, more and more people gathered to watch. Suddenly, a carriage arrived from afar and stopped by the field. The curtain was slowly pulled back, revealing Yang Huahua’s gorgeous face. She watched the training with interest, her gaze falling on Li Qing’an.

It was Li Qing’an’s turn. He rode his horse at full speed. When he was still over sixty steps away from the hole, He Lou Yurun and several players threw balls at him—four balls, sent simultaneously from the east, west, and north. Li Qing’an’s eyes were as sharp as an eagle’s; he quickly spotted the tiny red ball among the four. Without hesitation, he swung his mallet at it. With a crisp sound, the mallet hit the ball accurately, sending it in a arc and into the hole from sixty-five steps away.

Applause and cheers erupted around him. Yang Huahua couldn’t help but exclaim, “Great shot!”

Li Fei Yuanli had already taken a keen interest in the beautiful Yang Huahua. He chuckled to himself, “Damn, this woman is really attractive—both pretty and seductive.” But with guards surrounding her, he didn’t dare approach her rashly. Instead, he waited from afar, his eager eyes fixed on the carriage, smiling broadly. His duty to guard against spies had long been forgotten.

After watching for a while, he suddenly realized he recognized this woman—she seemed familiar, as if he had met her before. He urged his horse to move closer and finally recognized her: wasn’t she the young woman they encountered when entering the capital a few days ago? Hehe! She must be here to see me, old Li.

“Madam, it’s been a long time!”

Li Fei Yuanli adjusted his clothes and put on a refined appearance.
“Do you still remember me? We met outside the city gate.”
“I remember now. You’re the bearded man.”
Yang Huahua giggled and said, “Bearded man, could you go call Li Qilang for me?”
“Why bother with that guy? Madam, he’s clueless and far worse than me. It’s better to ask me. Madam, let me accompany you on an outing!”
Li Fei Yuanli was enthusiastic, stepping closer with a smug smile. “I’m anyway idle, and I’d be happy to serve you.”
“General Li, they’re calling you!” a soldier stepped forward.
“Go! Go! Go! Can’t you see I’m busy?” Li Fei Yuanli waved impatiently, then turned his eager gaze back to Yang Huahua. “What do you think, madam?”
Yang Huahua glanced at him and said coquettishly, “Is that so? You’re willing to serve me?”
“Of course! Please give me your orders.”
“Very well, then go and call Li Qilang for me.”
…
After practicing for over an hour, the polo players sat down to rest. At that moment, Li Fei Yuanli shambled over. The others teased him, saying, “Old Li, has she made you her courtier?”
“I would like to, but unfortunately, she doesn’t see me as good enough. She prefers the scarred-faced one.”
He dismounted lazily and said to Li Qing’an, “Qilang, go over there for a moment. She’s looking for you.”
“Who is she?” Li Qing’an asked with a smile.
“You’ll know when you go. You’ve met her before.”
“Okay! I’ll go take a look.”
Li Qing’an stood up and strode toward the carriage. Li Fei Yuanli lay on the ground, watching two birds fly in the sky. Suddenly, he cursed, “Damn it! I’m not even as good as a bird!”
Meanwhile, Li Qing’an had already reached the carriage. From afar, he recognized Yang Huahua—wasn’t she the woman he met outside Mingde Gate?
“Madam, does something require my presence?” Li Qing’an approached the carriage and bowed with a smile.
Yang Huahua said sweetly, “I’m having a party at my home tomorrow night. I came specially to give you an invitation.”
She took one out of a stack of invitations and handed it to Li Qing’an, adding, “You must come!”
Li Qing’an glanced at the invitation, which read: The Yang family of Bashu cordially invites Lieutenant General Li Qing’an. The time and address were on the back, in Xingdao Fang. Li Qing’an smiled happily and said, “Great! I’ll be there on time.”
“Don’t bring anything. Just your presence is enough,” Yang Huahua reminded him before waving goodbye and sending the carriage away.
“Qilang, why did you let her go?”

Li Fei Yuanli walked over, glared fiercely at Yang Huahua’s carriage, and said with a dark expression, “I suspect this woman is a spy sent by another team to gather information about our army. We should arrest her and interrogate her thoroughly.”
Li Qingan ignored him and returned to the sports field.
……
After practicing in the afternoon, Li Fei Shouyu quietly approached Li Qingan and said in a low voice, “Qilang, are you free now?”
“Yes! If you need my help with anything, just tell me.”
“It’s like this,” Li Fei Shouyu stammered, “I want to go see Qian Niang, but I don’t dare go alone. Could you accompany me?”
Li Qingan laughed. “What’s there to discuss? I’ll go with you. Do you want to bring everyone else too?”
“No!” Li Fei Shouyu waved his hands frantically in fear. “It’s fine if you just accompany me.”
“Brother, why not call your elder brother when there’s something important?” Li Fei Yuanli always showed up at the wrong time.
Li Qingan glanced at him, noticing his ambiguous smile, and slapped him, scolding, “Being so sneaky—do you think we’re going to a brothel?”
Li Fei Yuanli grinned. “Even eating meat every day can get boring. It’s nice to have some light food occasionally and listen to some charming songs.”
“Brother, please don’t cause trouble. I have an important matter to attend to,” Li Fei Shouyu pleaded softly.
“An important matter?” Li Fei Yuanli’s expression turned serious. He patted his chest and said, “It’s even more important to involve me. You need your own brother when fighting tigers! Right, Qilang?”
Seeing that Li Qingan ignored him, Li Fei Yuanli turned around and shouted, “Hey! Come over and give us your opinion!”
“Okay! Okay! I’ll let you go then.”……