Chapter 45
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Han Jiao moved back to his own humble abode from the lavish mansion next to Prince Yan’s mansion. Transitioning from luxury to frugality was about to begin.
In fact, Prince Yan arranged a new residence for Han Jiao and even provided servants and maids, but Han Jiao stubbornly refused this gesture of goodwill.
To maintain the appearance of a “loyal subject,” Han Jiao had to act the part. Since his limited wealth was known to all, he couldn’t afford a grand mansion or retain a staff, so he had no choice but to return to his old home.
Eventually, Prince Yan was persuaded by Han Jiao. He wanted to send some silver to improve the Han family’s situation, but he couldn’t find a suitable pretext. In the end, he devised a reason in the name of the Ministry of Justice, offering Han Jiao a reward of two hundred taels of silver for “assisting in apprehending a first-class criminal.”
Worried that Han Jiao might evade once again, Prince Yan instructed a eunuch to secretly place the reward silver in Han Jiao’s belongings and send it all back to the Han family’s old residence.
Upon returning home, when Han Jiao’s mother unpacked their belongings, she discovered this sum of silver. Inside the package was also a silk-textured document from the Ministry of Justice to verify the legitimate source of the silver.
Han Jiao and his father were moving other belongings in the main hall when they suddenly heard his mother’s enchanting laughter coming from inside the house. This startled the father and son, almost causing them to drop the wooden chests they were carrying.
The father and son rushed into the house to investigate, only to learn that Mrs. Han was not possessed by some evil spirit. She had merely burst into laughter at her sudden elevation to a wealthy lady.
“Look how clever my A’Jiao is!” Mrs. Han waved the Ministry of Justice’s reward document in front of Master Han. “He made two hundred taels just by helping the court with their accounts! We could never save up this much in our whole lifetime!”
Master Han took the document, examined it repeatedly. The more he read, the happier and prouder he felt. But he held back his words, just smiling while stroking his beard, fearing his son might become too proud.
Han Jiao felt quite content too. Prince Yan was considerate, providing silver that was clean official currency, neatly arranged in a small wooden box. It felt comforting, much better than looking at silver notes.
Mrs. Han took each silver ingot, caressed them in her hand for a while, and then closed the box with a satisfied expression, allowing Han Jiao to put it away carefully.
Han Jiao took out a few ingots to buy clothes and jewelry for his mother, saving the rest for future needs.
Now, all they had to do was wait for the next move from their adversaries.
As Han Jiao expected, the Eldest Prince paid another visit to inquire about Prince Yan.
“Master Han seems to have grown cold towards me,” following Han Jiao’s advice, Prince Yan complained to the Eldest Prince, “When he left, he didn’t even look up to acknowledge me. He just nodded and left. It seems he may not be sincerely willing to strategize for me in the future. Such a great talent, and he’s been worn out like this by all of you!”
Eyes twinkling, the Eldest Prince let out a chuckle. “Old Sixth, sometimes you need to cut your losses. You should be grateful we removed a troublemaker for you.”
“How did Master Han become a troublemaker for me?”
“You previously mentioned he repeatedly requested to return to his old residence, and now that you’ve granted his request, he’s turned sour. This just proves that his prior behavior was all a facade! So, this guy is nothing but a false gentleman. His aloofness and haughtiness were all a show for you.”
Seeing Prince Yan still full of regret, the Eldest Prince offered a few comforting words and arranged to meet again next time before hastily departing.
The next day, Han Jiao, as usual, went to Hanlin Academy for the morning assembly. His colleagues were even warmer than before, serving tea, water, and trying to get closer to Han Jiao, all eager to inquire about how the Ninth Prince assessed their cuju skills.
Han Jiao couldn’t bear to disappoint them, so he praised this group of inexperienced players one by one on behalf of the big boss.
Everyone was pleased, competing to have Han Jiao organize daily cuju practice for them.
In the afternoon, a eunuch from Nansan Hall came to Hanlin Academy with a message and hurriedly took Han Jiao to the cuju field.
This time, all three princes were finally present, sitting on the viewing platform.
From a distance, Han Jiao noticed the “new limited edition lambskin cuju ball” tightly cradled by Xie An.
Even though it was half-concealed, nothing could hide the exquisite craftsmanship of the ball. It was truly deserving of being a handcrafted royal piece!
But…
Why did the big boss and Xie Jing seem less excited sitting beside each other?
Both princes had stony expressions, watching Han Jiao’s approach from afar.
Han Jiao met the three princes. Xie An was the first to jump up, handing the ball to him.
“Master Xiaobai, take a look. Is this cuju ball made without any errors?”
Han Jiao took the ball. The solid feel that had been absent for so long, the top-quality leather material, the precise cutting and stitching…
“No errors,” Han Jiao exclaimed with delight. “It’s made perfectly.”
The craftsmanship of the palace craftsmen was truly exceptional. He had initially thought it would take several generations to create a ball that came close to his requirements. However, the palace craftsmen had surpassed Han Jiao’s expectations in a single attempt.
“So, Master Xiaobai, is this the cuju ball you envisioned?” Xie Jing’s tone didn’t sound very excited as he and the big boss approached, both wearing serious expressions.
“Your Highness, have you not yet adjusted to the feel of this ball?”
“It’s not a matter of adjustment,” Xie Jing complained. “This ball is entirely different from the ones we usually play with. It’s too smooth and taut. A gentle kick, and it bounces too high, making it impossible to control.”
Xie An confessed, “My Big Brother thinks that Master Han designed this ball because he believes others also need it due to their lack of strength.”
Han Jiao’s temple twitched, casting a sidelong glance to identify which “big brother” was questioning his design.
Xie Jing, feeling guilty, averted his gaze.
Xie Duo spoke with an air of arrogance, “His Big Brother doesn’t need such strong bounce.”
“Why wouldn’t he need it?” Han Jiao objected, “Isn’t a good cuju ball judged by its elasticity? Of course, the more bounce, the better. Your Highness only finds this ball unsuitable because you haven’t learned to kick yet.”
Your Highness haven’t learned to kick yet!
Xie Jing was thunderstruck.
Xie Duo dangerously warned with narrowed eyes, “I’ll give you one chance. Think about your words carefully.”
The two offended princes were on the brink of collapse. Han Jiao quickly composed himself and rephrased his words, “I didn’t mean to say that you all can’t kick balls. I meant that you haven’t yet adapted to this significantly improved new ball. In fact, this ball requires less effort. You just need to exert about one-third of the force you used in traditional cuju to control it. Allow me to demonstrate—”
Han Jiao lifted his robe’s hem and tucked it into his belt, took a couple of steps back, and placed the ball on the ground, holding it in place with the tip of his shoe.
The three princes prepared to mock him.
Master Han was unaware of how challenging this new ball was to handle. The impending embarrassment was about to happen again!
Unaware of the three princes’ expressions of glee, Han Jiao took a deep breath and gently tapped the ball with the tip of his shoe.
The cuju ball obediently climbed onto Han Jiao’s instep, and with a light flick, he sent the ball into the air!
The three princes: “???”
“Just like this,” Han Jiao demonstrated while controlling the ball, “You can manage it with very little force. Your Highness, first learn to control the force properly. This ball is much more playable than the bamboo-core ball. You don’t need to search for the stress point on the bamboo core with your toes. This ball has a uniform stress point on any part of it. Just control the direction of your force.”
“Master Xiaobai is amazing!” Xie An practically worshipped him. “You write well and play cuju so well!”
“Your Highness, you’re too kind.”
Han Jiao proudly smiled, catching the ball with one hand, then turned to the big boss. “As we agreed earlier, Your Highness, would you like to have a match with me?”
“I haven’t adapted to this kind of ball yet,” Xie Duo honestly replied.
That’s exactly what I want! Han Jiao roared in his mind. Once you get used to it, you won’t be overwhelmed by it!
“It’s my first time with this kind of ball too.” Han Jiao pretended to be a newbie. “You’ll get used to it with practice. How about a practice match to start?”
Seeing the little child prodigy’s eager and triumphant expression, Xie Duo cocked his head. “You don’t think I’m afraid of you, do you?”
Han Jiao: “……”
Well, actually, that’s exactly what I think!
Bring it on!
Let’s have the match, you stinky little brother!
Xie An excitedly said, “Then let’s have a match! I want to be on Master Xiaobai’s team!”
“You’re clever,” Xie Jing grumbled, “find someone who can play to be on your team. Let Xiaobai choose his teammate.”
Both princes looked at Master Xiaobai with eager eyes simultaneously.
This is forcing me to offend someone.
“Stop arguing. You can all be on his team.” Xie Duo walked casually to the edge of the field, head tilted with an air of arrogance. “I’ll be enough on my own.”
I’ll soon make a big impression on this stinky boss.
So, the second cuju match with the boss began.
They walked to the center of the field, one against three, standing in a line.
Han Jiao, being a gentleman, gave the boss the privilege of the first kick.
After all, in a one-against-three match, he wanted the boss to lose convincingly.
“Ninth Brother should not kick first!” Xie An protested, alert from years of experience. “Master Xiaobai, if the ball is at his feet, we won’t even get a chance!”
“It’s different with this ball,” Han Jiao said confidently.
“Even so…” Xie An still wanted to argue.
“Then let Master Xiaobai kick the ball,” Xie Duo interrupted his younger brother and kicked the ball back to the little child prodigy.
Han Jiao stepped on the ball and looked up at Xie Duo. “Wouldn’t that put Your Highness at a disadvantage?”
“It does seem a bit disadvantageous,” Xie Duo looked somewhat lost, turning to Han Jiao, “If I lose, Master Xiaobai, you won’t punish me too severely, will you?”
Han Jiao’s heart soared in that instant!
The feeling of the formidable big boss playfully seeking mercy was on another level!
Even this stinky little brother had his moments!
Ultimately, the world still belonged to him, the academic overachiever!
“Not at all,” Han Jiao resisted the urge to let a smirk show, reassuring in a mature and steady manner, “It’s just a practice match, and it’s all in good fun. The outcome isn’t important.”
“That’s good.” Xie Duo breathed a sigh of relief. As if suddenly remembering something, he looked at the little child prodigy with innocent eyes. “If I happen to win, could you promise to grant any request I make?”
“No problem!” Han Jiao encouraged the novice boss with glee. “So Your Highness, don’t give up easily, try to snatch the ball from under my feet. It’s just a practice match, and winning or losing doesn’t matter much!”
Xie Duo nodded with a hint of a smile. “I’ll do my best.”
Thus, the match began with anticipation from both sides.
Han Jiao displayed his skills, controlling the familiar cuju ball towards the opponent’s goal.
The cuju field had been renovated according to his recommendations, with a length of a whopping one hundred and fifty meters, wider than the school’s field. Running with the ball all the way to the opponent’s goal was quite strenuous.
Fortunately, the boss was unfamiliar with this type of ball. He stayed close to Han Jiao but unable to intervene.
Han Jiao suppressed his laughter and, as the distance closed in, took a shot without hesitation.
“Thud.”
“Hmm…” Enduring the pain in his toe, Han Jiao looked down at the motionless ball, only to find it trapped under another foot.
He followed that long leg upwards and saw the wicked little brother gazing at him, revealing a sharp little fang on the left side.
Deception!
Before Han Jiao could react, he heard a muffled “thud,” and the ball disappeared from his sight.
“Ninth Brother kicked the ball away!”
Hearing this, Han Jiao turned his head—
The big boss stood not too far away with his back turned, watching the ball he had kicked far away. “Ah, I still can’t control the force properly.”
Fortunately, the boss couldn’t control the ball. Han Jiao breathed a sigh of relief, diligently rushing to retrieve the ball.
Thus, the scene at the beginning of the match replayed: Han Jiao kicked hard, attempting to attack the southern goal while Xie Duo closely followed, but he never managed to snatch the ball. When they reached the goal, Han Jiao attempted to score, but Xie Duo thwarted him, kicking the ball back to the northern field.
This cycle continued for half an hour…
Han Jiao, running like a hamster in endless circles, was gasping for air, close to collapsing.
“If you’re tired, you can surrender,” Xie Duo considerately reminded the little child prodigy.
“Huff… huff… I can… still play!” Han Jiao finally realized this stinky little brother’s cunning plan.
Even though Xie Duo hadn’t fully adapted to the ball’s feel, he could kick the ball far, draining the opponent’s energy and forcing Han Jiao to give in.
He couldn’t let this stinky little brother succeed.
It wasn’t that Han Jiao had a heavy obsession with winning or losing. Rather, it was a moment of underestimation when he agreed to an unequal treaty, as if the boss could make any request at will.
He would never give up!
However…
“Old Eighth, Old Tenth, what about you?” Xie Duo went for a different approach.
“I can’t go on, I surrender! I surrender!” Xie An ran to the sidelines for a drink.
“This isn’t leading to a result, let’s call it off. We’ll have another match when we’re better prepared,” Xie Jing also left the field, dripping with sweat.
“……” Han Jiao swallowed hard, not daring to look at the boss’ expression. He murmured to his teammates, “So, let’s decide the winner another time.”
After saying this, he tried to slip away, but was promptly carried back by a certain boss.
“No need for another time,” Xie Duo stared down at the nearly breathless child prodigy and said seriously, “In my team, there’s no surrender.”
Han Jiao: “……”
This stinky little brother.
He had intentionally assigned two teammates to Han Jiao’s team, both to make him underestimate the situation and to facilitate a majority vote.
The dream of a 0-0 tie was shattered because Han Jiao’s team surrendered!
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