After lunch, everyone led their horses back to the sermon. Li Zhen took out a silver medal and handed it to Di Yan, and said with a smile: "This silver medal is given to you, and you can enter our inner security office."

Di Yan glanced at the silver medal and pouted her mouth gently, "What are you doing for me? I don't want it!"

Li Zhen smiled and grabbed her hand and stuffed the silver medal into her. "I hire you as our scout, pass on the message for us, and give you a reward of thirty cents of money."

Di Yan gave him a blank look, "I want this girl to run errands for you only thirty cents of money. It's too little, it costs at least one hundred cents of money."

"Then it's one hundred stale!" Li Zhen said with a smile.

"It's almost the same!" Di Yan finally accepted the silver medal and said, "Now you send me home first. When I feel better one day, come here to earn your 100-ton currency."

"I wish to serve Miss Di!"

Li Zhen said to everyone, and then accompanied Di Yan to Anyefang.

...........

After two days of fierce competition, the first round of polo court knockout finally ended, sixty-four teams were eliminated half, and the thirty-two winners got their wish and entered the second round of knockout. The Luoyang people did not comment too much about the first round of the game. After all, the number of thirty-two teams is too large, which is dazzling and makes people unable to make accurate predictions. Many senior fans are even more reluctant to comment easily, for fear that their comments will make mistakes and ruin their hard-won reputation.

The second round of knockout match was officially held three days later, and the game could be completed in just one day. In the second round of draw, the opponent of the Inner Guard team was the ninth place Youzhou team in the competition last year.

The Youzhou team is also a strong army polo team, under the command of the Youzhou Governor's Office. Most of their polo players are Liaodong cavalry who are good at fighting, and they all have superb riding and shooting skills. Just as the Youzhou polo team does not understand the inner guard polo team, Li Zhen also knows nothing about this team.

In the second round of the game, the Emperor Wu Zetian of the Tang Dynasty finally appeared. She appeared at the match between Fangzhou and Ganzhou. As we all know, the Fangzhou team is the team of Luling King Li Xian. Four of the five main polo players are the Li family royal family, and the other is Wei Bo, the nephew of Li Xian’s wife Wei family, so it is also called the royal family team.

The team against Fangzhou Polo team is the eighth-place Liangzhou team last year. It is very strong and is one of the popular teams with hope of winning the championship. Especially the team has three Qiang Di Hu people, their riding skills are particularly elusive. In last year's competition, they defeated the equally strong Longyou Polo team with four-to-one scores and entered the quarterfinals.

The polo match was fiercely played with the audience's shouts of shouting. The horses galloped on the court and the polo flew fast, making the two teams play hard.

Wu Zetian had no expression on her face and stared coldly at the polo game on the court. Gao Yanfu stood aside and carefully explained the situation on the court to Wu Zetian. Although there were attacks again and again on the court, Wu Zetian was still unmoved.

Gao Yanfu was sensitively aware that the emperor had not watched the polo game at all, but he didn't know what she was thinking. Gao Yanfu shut up in time and stopped giving unnecessary explanations.

At this time, Wu Zetian turned around and asked Shangguan Wan'er with a smile, "Is the inner guard team also playing?"

Shangguan Wan'er stood beside Wu Zetian, but she knew Wu Zetian's thoughts better than Gao Yanfu. She knew why the emperor was watching the Fangzhou team's game and also understood what the emperor was thinking, but she did not interrupt the emperor's thinking, but just stood quietly aside.

Seeing the emperor asking himself, Shangguan Wan'er hurriedly bowed and said, "Report to Your Majesty, they are playing in the Qianqi Camp Polo Stadium!"

Wu Zetian smiled and said, "Let's go and have a look!"

Gao Yanfu hurriedly said to the guards: "Prepare the car, the emperor is going to the Qianqi Camp polo court!"

Wu Zetian climbed onto the dragon chariot, hundreds of guards and guards left and right, together with more than a hundred eunuchs and palace maids, surrounded Wu Zetian's dragon chariot and headed towards the Thousand Cavalry Camp's horse stadium...

At this time, there were also crowds outside the Qianqi Camp stadium, with nearly 50,000 people gathered around the stadium to watch the game. The shouts were surging like waves and drums shook the earth. The two polo teams played hard on the stadium, and the scores were always stalemate.

When Youzhou team won the first place, less than half a cup of tea, Li Zhen returned another goal. The current score between the two sides is three to three, with only a quarter of an hour left before the end of the entire game, which made tens of thousands of people crazy watching the game, and everyone was in their throats.

Di Yan accompanied her grandmother in the stands, covering her face with her hands. When Youzhou team took the ball to attack, she was so nervous that she dared not watch again.

Although Mrs. Di is a loyal fan of Taiyuan Prefecture, the Taiyuan team disappointed her and was eliminated by Ganzhou team in the first round of the game. She has now become a fan of the inner guard. She holds a small red flag in her hand to cheer for the inner guard game.

At this time, the audience in the stands dodged to both sides, and teams of guards appeared, setting up a clearing ground. Then a hundred guards appeared, guarding the empress Wu Zetian in regular clothes. Dozens of palace maids and eunuchs were followed on both sides. They arrived and almost occupied most of the stands. The audience in the stands were forced to leave.

Mrs. Di, the grandchildren, sat next to her and luckily avoided the clearing. They were still sitting in the stands. Mrs. Di glanced at Wu Zetian with some disgust, continued to watch the football, and ignored her at all.

Wu Zetian asked with a smile: "What is the score now?"

Du Jingjian, the Minister of Rites, quickly reported: "Your Majesty, the score between the two teams is now a three-to-three draw, and it is over in a quarter of an hour before the game."

"Oh—" Wu Zetian said a long time and asked with interest: "What if the game ends or draws?"

"If it is still a draw, the literary match will be held, that is, the individual shot will determine the outcome, and we will set the questions. Both sides will send three people to shoot, and the winner of the literary match will win the game."

"This is quite interesting. If there is such a literary game, I would like to take a look."

Speaking of this, Wu Zetian suddenly saw Mrs. Di. She was slightly stunned and asked curiously: "Does such an old woman come to the game?"

Du Jingjian bowed to report: "Your Majesty, that is the mother of the Yuan Prime Minister, and a famous polo fan."

"So it's her!" Wu Zetian smiled and said, "No wonder I feel familiar. Mr. Du, can you invite Mrs. Di to come and see me?"

Du Jingjian ran over, and Shangguan Wan'er whispered to Wu Zetian: "Your Majesty, next to him is the youngest daughter of the Prime Minister Di, and she has a very close relationship with Li Zhen."

When Wu Zetian heard her use the word "intimacy", she couldn't help but look at her strangely. She realized something and smiled and said, "It's understandable that a young man like Li Zhen doesn't like him."

After a moment, Mrs. Di was invited to Wu Zetian. Although Mrs. Di despised Wu Zetian's disobedience to the law, she had a first-class imperial edict and at the same time, in order for her son to return to Beijing as soon as possible, she still showed the etiquette that her minister should have. With the support of her granddaughter, she knelt down and kowtow, "My wife, please see Your Majesty, Your Majesty!"

Wu Zetian hurriedly said, "I'm please get up quickly and give me a seat!"

A palace maid placed an embroidery pier beside her. Di Yan helped her grandmother sit down. Wu Zetian smiled and said, "If I remember correctly, the old lady is already 75 years old this year!"

Mrs. Di was surprised at Wu Zetian's memory and hurriedly bowed and said, "The old woman is indeed seventy-five today."

"It's not easy!" Wu Zetian sighed and said, "Seventy-five-year-old is so healthy. It's admirable to watch polo games in the crowd. I don't have such a good body."

"Your Majesty is a dragon body, and he is busy with all kinds of things and is working hard on state affairs. Unlike an old woman who asks for simplicity, she has food to eat and polo games to watch. She is satisfied to hear the news of her son's health."

Wu Zetian heard the slight dissatisfaction in Mrs. Di's words. She pretended not to understand, and her eyes turned to Di Yan again, and said to her, "I remember that your father asked me for leave, saying that he would be happy and would rush home to celebrate. Unexpectedly, he grew up to be a big girl in this moment. He was so beautiful and time passed so quickly!"

She asked again: "Miss Di should be fifteen years old this year!"

Di Yan bowed his knees and bowed, "Report to Your Majesty, the little girl is fifteen this year."

Wu Zetian smiled slightly again: "It's fifteenth, and it's almost the age to talk about marriage. I wonder if I have betrothed someone or have someone I like?"

Di Yan's face suddenly turned red, and she didn't know how to answer for a moment. The old lady Di smiled and said, "The old woman and her granddaughter are both firm supporters of Commander Li. She always comes to see him for a game, hoping that his team will win."

Wu Zetian laughed, "It turns out that Miss Di likes Commander Li. He is very good, upright and promising, extraordinary bravery, and has a handsome appearance. However, as far as I know, there are many young ladies who like him, so Miss Di must work harder!"

Di Yan glanced at Shangguan Wan'er and plucked up the courage to say, "Thank you for your concern, but Di Yan and Commander Li are just ordinary friends, far from what Your Majesty said-"

"A Yan!" Mrs. Di reminded her, "You should not be so rude when talking to Your Majesty."

Wu Zetian waved his hand with a smile, "It might be fine, I have come here since I was a little girl. I can fully understand that Miss Di and Ling Zun really look like each other!"

Wu Zetian stared at Di Yan and sighed softly.

At this time, the audience on both sides suddenly started shouting like a thunderous roar. The game was about to end, but the situation on the field began to turn. Li Zhen broke through the interception of the two rear troops alone, galloped towards the hole a hundred steps away, and the polo jumped in front of him, at a very fast speed.

The two rear soldiers of Youzhou team were shocked and desperately chased Li Zhen, but the famous horse Chi Yanxue ran like lightning under Li Zhen, and his speed was getting faster and faster. He gradually distanced himself from the two rear soldiers behind him. He was about 45 steps away from the hole. The polo stopped and lay quietly on the ground.

Li Zhen's horse rushed to the sky like a cloud and fog. Li Zhen turned sideways away from the saddle, waved his staff and shot hard. The rod hit the polo on the ground. The polo rose into the air, like a meteor flying over the night sky, shooting straight into the hole, and the polo entered the hole.

The stadium suddenly became boiling, and countless people shouted, ecstatic. Although this was the first time the Neiguard team participated in the game, it belonged to the Beijing team, so most of the audience supported the Neiguard team and turned to it in their hearts.

The inner guard team led the way at the last moment, and the crowd was in high spirits, but the Youzhou team was extremely frustrated, and many polo players were in pain and threw the ball stick to the ground.

There is less than half a cup of tea left, and at most there is only one round of offensive defense. Li Zhen shouted in a hoarse voice: "Retreat all, retreat to the back battalion to defend!"

At the critical moment, all five polo players retreated to their back camp and stopped the Youzhou team's crazy attack regardless of everything. Zhang Li's horse collided with another opponent's war horse. The horse was seriously injured, and both polo players fell to the ground.

Li Zhen yelled at Jiuzhi, "Don't worry about him, guard against your right-hand attack!"

Jiu Zhi transferred his horse back, and the polo flew past him. Seeing that his opponent was about to shoot, Jiu Zhifei rushed over and waved the polo desperately, hitting the polo. The polo was knocked out of the court and fell into the crowd. Jiu Zhi also lost his balance and fell from the horse, but his polo destroyed the last attack of Youzhou team.

‘Dang!’ The gongs of the whole game rang out.

Li Zhen jumped off the war horse and flew on Jiuzhi, laughing wildly with excitement. All his teammates rushed up and pressed on them to celebrate their victory in the second game.

At this moment, Di Yan and grandmother also forgot the female emperor behind them. They were extremely excited and raised their fists together and shouted, "We won!"

...........

...
Chapter completed!