Chapter 65: Practicing Ball Games at Gao’s Residence

Being a pawn in Li Linfu’s hands, Li Qing’an felt extremely displeased. Seeing that it was already late, he returned to his lodging to fetch his ball-playing equipment and hurried toward Gao Lishi’s residence. December nights fell early, and by the time he arrived, it was completely dark.

The area in front of the mansion was deserted. In the distance, he saw a carriage parked at the steps, its door open. Inside sat a man in his thirties. As Li Qing’an passed by, he glanced at him. The man had thick brows and striking features—clearly a handsome man, likely some official seeking Gao Lishi’s favor.

Li Qing’an quickly stepped up the steps and took out a jade token from his waist—his pass to enter Gao Lishi’s residence. Suddenly, the man behind him called out, “General Li, please wait!”

Li Qing’an turned and smiled. “Who are you?”

The man hobbled down from the carriage and bowed. “I am Yang Zhao, the magistrate of Wannian County. I beg General Li to convey a message to Lord Gao—I wish to meet with him.”

“Yang Zhao?” Li Qing’an was stunned. Wasn’t Yang Zhao the future Yang Guozhong? Hadn’t he risen quickly through connections as soon as he arrived in Chang’an? When had he ever been a magistrate of Wannian County? This made no sense—it was completely different from historical records!

“General Li, I truly rely on you!” Yang Zhao bowed earnestly.

“Hehe! Please, Magistrate Yang, don’t be polite. Wait a moment; I’ll take your message right away.”

Li Qing’an showed the jade token to the gatekeeper before striding into Gao Lishi’s residence, leaving Yang Zhao filled with envy. When would he be able to have such a token?

Though he agreed verbally, Li Qing’an didn’t take it seriously. How could Gao Lishi not know Yang Zhao had arrived? If even Gao Lishi refused to see him, what chance did he have?

However, the butler who would take him to Gao Lishi resolved his doubts.

“Ah! That Yang Zhongcheng—instead of staying as an imperial censor, he insisted on defending Yang Shenjin. Not only was he beaten thirty times, but the emperor also demoted him. Now, the once-high-ranking censor has become a mere county magistrate. Even my master won’t see him.”

“Oh? What happened to Yang Shenjin?”

“It’s said that Imperial Censor Wang accused him of hiding forbidden books. But thanks to Yang Zhao’s interference, the matter was dropped.”

Li Qing’an suddenly had an epiphany. Could it be…

At this moment, they arrived at the sports field, where night training was in progress with all the lights turned off. A dozen polo players were practicing hitting the ball from thirty steps away. On the stands, Gao Lishi sat on a low stool wearing a loose robe, watching the game. The butler stepped forward and reported, “My lord, General Li has arrived.”

Li Qing’an stepped forward and bowed to Gao Lishi, saying, “Your humble servant pays respects to Master Gao!”

Gao Lishi waved his hand and smiled gently, saying, “Qilang, there’s no need to be so formal at my place. Come! Sit next to me.”

A maid also brought over a low stool, similar to today’s footstool, made of several wooden sticks. Li Qing’an sat down and said with a smile, “It seems they’re making rapid progress! They can even score from thirty steps away.”

“That’s thanks to you! If not for your advice that night, my team would still have to rely on connections to secure a place this year.”

Gao Lishi let out a soft sigh and then asked Li Qing’an with a smile, “I heard you’ve been practicing well these past few days. How’s it going? Is the Anxi Army confident in winning this year?”

“Of course everyone wants to win, but there are many variables; no one knows what will happen in the end.”

Gao Lishi nodded and, gazing at the dark clouds drifting in the sky, said slowly, “You’re right. Who knows what will happen tomorrow? The most important thing is to live each day well. Ah! Let’s not talk about these depressing matters.”

He glanced at Li Qing’an and smiled again, saying, “I heard Du Gu Shi intends to recruit you as his son-in-law. Is that true?”

Li Qing’an shrugged and laughed, “It was after that grand ceremony. He invited me to his residence for drinks. Since I had been appointed as a lieutenant general in the Qianniu Guard and the general of the Qianniu Guard invited me, how could I refuse? I went, only to find out it was actually a matchmaking session. It was quite awkward. Fortunately, his granddaughter didn’t like me either, so the matter was dropped.”

“Hehe! Then Du Gu Mingyue made a mistake. If she doesn’t choose you as her husband, she’ll surely regret it in the future.”

For some reason, Li Qing’an felt very comfortable chatting with Gao Lishi. It was completely different from talking with Li Linfu. When talking with Li Linfu, his heart was always in turmoil, and in the end he still got an unknown task. But chatting with Gao Lishi didn’t give him that uneasy feeling; he felt relaxed, as if chatting casually with a friend.

“Master Gao, you’re too kind. That Du Gu Mingyue is very beautiful. I think she’ll definitely marry a good husband.”

“Not necessarily. Maybe she’ll be sent as a princess of the Tang Dynasty for a marriage alliance. Recently, the prince of Ningyuan Country came to propose marriage, and the emperor is considering sending her to marry for the Tang Dynasty.”

“And what will be the outcome?” Li Qing’an asked nervously.

Gao Lishi glanced at him and chuckled, “Qilang, seeing how nervous you are, it seems you’re quite interested in her after all! But don’t worry—her sister was already married once two years ago, so in the end, the emperor didn’t choose her but someone else.”
Li Qing’an felt relieved but still smiled and said, “How could I be interested in her? It was just a brief meeting. By the way, Master Gao, I might not be able to come tomorrow night. A friend of mine is moving into a new house and has invited me to dinner.”
“Hehe! It must be Sister Yang who invited you! I’m going too,” Gao Lishi said with a smile.
Li Qing’an was stunned. He saw Gao Lishi take out an invitation card identical to his own—“The Yang family of Bashu respectfully invites Master Gao…”
“What’s going on? Who is this Yang family of Bashu? Could it be…”
Gao Lishi smiled gently and said, “Sister Yang is the third sister of the Imperial Concubine. Her name is Yang Huahua. It was she you met outside the city on the first day—she was also coming to the capital for the first time.”
“The Lady of Guo State!” Li Qing’an blurted out.
“What did you say?” Gao Lishi looked at him in surprise, then shook his head smilingly. “Qilang, where are your thoughts? Sister Yang might become a lady of a state in the future, but not now—and certainly not the Lady of Guo State you mentioned.”
Realizing he had slipped up, Li Qing’an quickly tried to cover it up, “I didn’t say anything about the Lady of Guo State. I was just wondering if she might become some kind of lady of a state.”
“Not now, but maybe in the future.”
Gao Lishi didn’t take it too seriously. Suddenly feeling cold, he said to Li Qing’an, “As one gets older, one can’t withstand the cold. Go and practice ball with them! I’ll go back inside.”
“Okay, Master Gao, no need to worry about me. I’ll practice with them myself.”
…
Li Qing’an practiced ball for most of an hour before ending the session. He packed up to bid farewell to Gao Lishi, only to find that Gao Lishi had already gone to rest.
“General Li, the master has ordered that you may stay in the mansion tonight.”
“Thank you for your kindness, but we need to start practicing ball at dawn tomorrow. Staying here would be inconvenient. I’d better go back.”
Despite the steward’s persistent attempts to keep him, Li Qing’an declined his offer and insisted on returning to his own residence. As soon as he left Gao Lishi’s mansion, he found that Yang Zhao was still outside, not having left.