Lin Chong's Women's Cuju Team

Chapter 152 Consort Luo Invites the Emperor to Play Cuju (ancient Chinese football)

Ning Zhanyan frowned, then stood up and pulled a golden hairpin from the pocket of his outer robe on the ground, handing it to Chen Jinhuan. He solemnly instructed, "The beads on this hairpin are specially made by me. They were soaked in a mixture of white fox fur and aphrodisiac for three days and three nights. If necessary, you can use them to bewitch that dog emperor so that you can protect yourself. Remember, you have a love potion in your body. If you have sex with another man, you will bleed from all seven orifices and die!"

"Sixth Brother, you're so heartless! You actually used a love potion on me just to keep me by your side." Chen Jinhuan took the golden hairpin, glared at Ning Zhanyan, and said to him in a complaining tone.

“Jin’er, I know it was my impulsiveness that caused you to suffer from the love poison every month, but as long as you don’t betray me, I will always detoxify you in time. Look, didn’t I come to detoxify you again today?” Ning Zhanyan gently patted Chen Jinhuan’s back in a coaxing tone to comfort her.

Upon hearing Ning Zhanyan's words, Chen Jinhuan realized with a start that today was another day when the love potion flared up. No wonder Zhang Ruowen noticed something was off about her complexion when he examined her pulse today; he must have discovered she was under the influence of the love potion and made up an excuse to avoid serving the emperor. Fortunately, the love potion hadn't taken effect in front of the emperor, or it would have been troublesome.

Thinking of this, Chen Jinhuan couldn't help but ask Ning Zhanyan with a puzzled look: "There's something I've been wanting to confirm with you. You once said that there's no antidote for this love potion, so how's the progress of your cousin Ning Weizhi's help in developing an antidote over the past two years? Has there been any progress?"

Seeing Chen Jinhuan's expectant expression, Ning Zhanyan sighed before answering her question: "Although Azhi is a medical genius, he has not been able to develop an antidote for this love curse in the past two years. He only said that if the mother curse dies in the host's body, the offspring curse will not survive. In other words, you and I are now bound by life and death. Unless I die, there is no cure for the love curse in your body."

"If it has to cost you your life, then let this love potion live on my body forever. I'm not afraid of the pain of the poison taking effect!" Upon hearing Ning Zhanyan's words, Chen Jinhuan's face turned pale, her eyes welled up with tears, and she reached out to gently stroke Ning Zhanyan's eyebrows and eyes, saying excitedly, "Sixth Brother, I can't live without you! You must not leave me."

As soon as Chen Jinhuan finished speaking, she threw herself into the man's arms, hugging his waist tightly and sobbing. Seeing the woman's emotions spiraling out of control like a burst dam, Ning Zhanyan quickly pressed her face against his chest and gently comforted her:

“Fool! How could I bear to leave you alone in this treacherous palace? The Wolf King told me that he tricked me into giving you the love potion, and that he wanted to control me to work for him by controlling you. That's why I had no choice but to send you into the palace to be a pawn in the Wolf King's game. But I will never let that dog emperor humiliate you. I will get the antidote for the love potion from the Wolf King as soon as possible.”

"Jin'er, you have to believe me! Let's work together, and I believe that it won't be long before we are both free." Ning Zhanyan saw that Chen Jinhuan's sobbing had gradually stopped, so he lowered his head and gently licked the tear stains off her cheeks, then forcefully kissed her luscious red lips.

Chen Jinhuan wanted to tell him she believed in him and was willing to face the many difficulties and obstacles of the future with him, but Ning Zhanyan had already swallowed her words and pressed her down hard again. Chen Jinhuan felt that this man was unusually aroused tonight. Although he was supposedly detoxifying her as usual, he seemed like a wolf that hadn't eaten for three months, and he just couldn't be satisfied...

Qixia Palace is located at the easternmost part of the palace, where the sun rises early. However, Chen Jinhuan was not awakened by the sunrise; instead, she was awakened by several sharp meows from cats. Chen Jinhuan felt weak and sore all over. She half-closed her eyes and reached out to touch the bedside, but the man had long since vanished without a trace.

The palace maid Shiyue stood at the foot of the bed, holding a white cat, and said to her, "Your Majesty, this is the white cat that Commander Chen brought to the backyard last night. He said it was a gift for Your Majesty to cheer you up, and that I should take good care of it in the backyard."

Seeing Chen Jinhuan's delighted expression, and how she sat up halfway and stretched out her hands as if to hug the white cat, Shiyue released her grip. The white cat, as if possessed, rushed into Chen Jinhuan's arms upon seeing her. Chen Jinhuan quickly hugged the cat tightly, gently stroking its feathers against her chest. Seeing the white cat obediently allowing Chen Jinhuan to stroke its fur, Shiyue chuckled and said:

"Your Majesty, it seems you are very pleased with Commander Chen's gift. Last night, the other palace maids and I heard this cat meowing for most of the night in the side hall. We thought we had disturbed Your Majesty, so we brought it here this morning to apologize!"

Chen Jinhuan raised an eyebrow, thinking that the meowing that had been going on for most of the night was clearly her, how could it be this white cat? She never imagined that this man was so cunning, actually using a cat's meow to cover up their affair. However, this white cat was extremely cute, with a pair of round and big eyes. With it as a companion, she believed that life in the deep palace would be a little easier from now on.

That afternoon, Chen Jinhuan had a eunuch deliver a message to Emperor Huizong of Song, saying that she wanted to play Cuju (ancient Chinese football) and hoped that Emperor Huizong would play with her for two hours. She also wanted to invite her former good friends from Zixiang Pavilion, such as Du Shiniang, Du Rushuang, and Chai Nianci, to the palace to play Cuju with her.

Emperor Huizong was delighted by the invitation from Consort Luo and cancelled his afternoon meeting with several court officials to discuss state affairs. Seeing the emperor's excited expression, Liu Guangyu knew that the emperor hadn't played Cuju (ancient Chinese football) since the Jin envoy had been killed there. Since Consort Luo had taken the initiative to invite him, he naturally wanted to offer suggestions to ensure the emperor's enjoyment. Therefore, he proposed summoning Gao Qiu and his son, Zhou Chengquan, Shen Daoyuan, and others to the palace to play Cuju with the emperor.

Emperor Huizong was in high spirits and naturally wouldn't refuse Liu Guangyu's suggestion. He asked Liu Guangyu to retrieve the latest style and pattern of Cuju (ancient Chinese football) uniform from his wardrobe—a short, fitted Cuju uniform with brocade trim embroidered with golden dragons. After Emperor Huizong had someone help him change and get dressed, he went to a Cuju field in the imperial palace's back garden.

Because the field where Du Shiniang and Shen Daoyuan had their last Cuju (ancient Chinese football) match in the palace had been burned down by assassins, the turf was uneven and new grass wasn't growing back quickly. Emperor Huizong of Song was a great lover of Cuju, so he ordered a temporary Cuju field to be built in the palace's back garden. However, the turf wasn't as neat and lush as before, and the field was half the size. Nevertheless, this Cuju field was surrounded by bamboo, slender and with abundant leaves, giving it a secluded and mysterious feel from afar, making playing Cuju there a unique and enjoyable experience.

As Emperor Huizong walked through the bamboo grove and entered the Cuju (ancient Chinese football) field, he saw three young girls already running and playing Cuju. He glanced at their backs; their Cuju outfits were the same bright red ones they wore at the last imperial Cuju tournament. The three girls looked like three blooming roses dancing in the breeze. He recognized Consort Luo at a glance because she had the slenderest waist, a delicate figure, and agile movements, leaving the emperor stunned.

At that moment, a football ball was flying through the air towards Emperor Huizong of Song. Just as it was about to hit the emperor's face, Liu Guangyu shouted in fright, "Where did this ghost ball come from? Someone, save the emperor!"