The Prime Minister Knows How to Handle His Wife (ABO, GL) - Chapter 1

Chapter 1

“…The martial examination was approaching, but His Majesty suddenly summoned the young masters of each family to play polo, saying he saw the neglected polo sticks and got excited, but I always felt there was another intention.”

“Like what?”

“Using this to observe each family’s Qianyuan, to select the martial champion in advance.”

The summer sunlight was perfect, and the wide grass field was encircled by various colorful tents. A sudden strong wind blew, making the tent cloths flutter loudly, perfectly covering the whispers within, drawing all eyes to the center of the field.

Inside, there were eight people, all wearing narrow-sleeved, cross-collared robes. They held reins in their left hands and gripped a long stick with a crescent-shaped head in their right, riding horses toward a colorful bamboo ball. They swung their polo sticks forcefully, sending the ball flying. Before it could land, another stick struck it, urgently driving it toward the opposite goal frame.

“Your Highness Nine!” someone suddenly shouted, turning to look behind.

First, they saw a white steed leap over the blockade, charging straight toward them, and only then did they see the girl on horseback.

This person wore red clothes, a gem-encrusted headband of the same color, and her face, mixed with foreign bl00d, was vibrant and unrestrained. The rushing wind lifted her hair, but it didn’t hinder her at all. With a powerful swing of her gem-encrusted polo stick, she effortlessly scooped up the colorful ball.

The green-clad rider, who had been swinging the stick to chase the ball moments before, saw this and hurriedly spurred the horse to pursue, his expression instantly turning serious.

But the woman called Your Highness Nine was relaxed, her eyes carrying a mischievous smile. She leaned sideways and swung at the colorful ball, sending it forward. The unruly round ball became as tame as a kitten under her stick.

With another swing, the crescent-shaped stick head tore up the grass. The horse’s hooves rose and fell. In just moments, she had left everyone behind, charging toward the goal frame with the ball.

“Quick! Stop her!” someone shouted loudly, sweat already covering their palms.

The surrounding teammates tried to speed up, but they didn’t expect to be surrounded by three red-clad riders. Even if they wanted to accelerate, they were forcibly held back.

“Get out of the way!” the leader shouted again in urgency, already warned by elders that this match held special significance, that he must perform well and absolutely could not lose.

But he didn’t expect his luck to be so bad, drawing Sheng Shiyue of all people.

Who in Bianjing didn’t know that the ninth princess of the imperial family didn’t love poetry or study etiquette and music? She loved to play. If you asked her about historical records or Zuo’s Commentary, she scratched her head, knowing nothing. But if it was polo, football, cockfighting, or falconry, she could talk for three days and nights, living up to her title as the number one wastrel.

Looking up again, Sheng Shiyue was only ten meters from the goal frame. His heart panicked, and he pulled the horse’s head, so anxious he wished he could jump off and run himself.

But the two red-clad riders still tightly sandwiched him, suppressing his speed.

“You two filthy slaves!” he cursed angrily, sweat dripping from his forehead, growing more frantic.

The two ignored him, even pressing closer.

A flash of resentment crossed his eyes, and he cursed inwardly that they were truly good dogs raised by Sheng Shiyue.

His teammate beside him tried to help but was powerless, only able to ride alongside.

In his urgency, he recalled his elders’ instructions. Gritting his teeth, he swung his stick toward the legs of the horse beside him.

Just filthy slaves raised by a useless wastrel! How dare they block him.

The horse beside him was startled, letting out a neigh, its front legs buckling as it fell to the side, the rider crashing heavily to the ground.

The surrounding crowd let out gasps of shock.

The one who broke through didn’t hesitate, immediately charging toward Sheng Shiyue.

The person in front seemed distracted by the incident, suddenly slowing down. He thought he had a chance, a flash of joy in his eyes. He rushed forward, swinging his stick at the colorful ball the next second.

But he didn’t expect Sheng Shiyue was waiting for this moment. She clamped her legs tightly around the horse, her body tilting to one side, her posture seemingly casual. Yet her long stick shot past his wooden one, striking directly at the colorful ball.

—Bang!

The colorful ball shot through the air, tracing a perfect arc before landing straight into the goal frame, followed by enthusiastic cheers from the crowd.

“The red team scores one point,” the referee shouted immediately, pulling down a piece of green cloth from the other side. The red team still had three intact cloths, while the green team had only one left, looking particularly desolate as it fluttered in the wind.

“Sheng Shiyue! Did you do that on purpose?” The furious person disregarded all etiquette, shouting loudly.

She could have scored earlier, but she waited until he caught up to swing, already embarrassing him. Now losing a point under her stick made him lose even more face!

Sheng Shiyue turned back, the teasing in her eyes unhidden, her lips curling into a mischievous smile, her voice lazy. “It’s just a polo match. Why is Young Master Xu so upset?”

Before he could respond, Sheng Shiyue’s gaze fell behind him. The person knocked off the horse was being lifted onto a stretcher, their expression showing some pain.

The smile on Sheng Shiyue’s lips faded, and she said with a fake smile, “You’re quite bold, daring to bully my people.”

Hearing this, Xu Zhengming felt a chill down his spine, finally remembering that Sheng Shiyue was fiercely protective of both people and things.

Once, at a cockfighting arena, her Red General had half its feathers plucked by another’s chicken. She was so angry that she led people over the wall in the middle of the night, not only beating up the chicken’s owner but also plucking all the feathers off that chicken, dragging the bald bird to apologize to her Red General. The story spread in the capital for quite a while.

If she was like that with small things, let alone anything else.

He opened his mouth, wanting to argue but not daring to. The image of another red-clad woman floated before his eyes—the Martial Peace Lord, stationed at the border, commanding eighty thousand elite troops, Sheng Shiyue’s greatest backer, who doted on her to the core.

His gaze dropped, and he saw the kylin necklace Sheng Shiyue never parted with.

The necklace was extremely luxurious, with gold as its base, inlaid with various precious gems. But the most striking was the mutton-fat jade kylin in the center. Even searching the entire country, it would be hard to find such fine material. It tempted a jade-carving master, who had long retired, to come out of seclusion, locking himself away for over two months to carve it meticulously.

Not to mention, after the necklace was made, the Martial Peace Lord personally escorted it to Qingyun Temple, placing it before the statue of the True Martial Emperor. She removed her armor, sealed her sword, fasted, and chanted scriptures for a month, praying only for Sheng Shiyue’s safety and happiness, free from disaster and illness.

When he came to his senses, nine-tenths of his previous anger had vanished. A hint of flattery appeared on his face, and he said with a forced smile, “I didn’t mean it. I accidentally hurt her in a moment of panic.”

Sheng Shiyue took in his change, raising an eyebrow.

Seeing this didn’t work, Young Master Xu added, “I’ll cover all her medical expenses, and I’ll compensate you with a pair of crickets. Don’t you always want my pair of Green Big Heads? I’ll have them sent to you later.”

This was truly a heavy price. That pair of crickets cost him a hundred taels of silver, begged from his grandparents. He usually treated them like his own eyes, not letting anyone even look at them. Yet today, he was willing to part with them?

Without waiting for her to ask, Young Master Xu rode forward, closing the distance between them, and whispered, “But Your Highness, you have to help me. This match is very important to me. I absolutely cannot lose.”

“Oh?” Sheng Shiyue finally spoke, smiling brightly. “You want me to pretend to lose to you?”

Seeing she was still unsatisfied, Young Master Xu gritted his teeth and promised, “I also have a zither inlaid with mother-of-pearl and purple sandalwood, a unique piece I received just a few days ago. If Your Highness likes it, I can send it along too.”

“Tch.”

Sheng Shiyue made a sound, not yet agreeing or refusing, when the referee’s voice called out from afar. The injured player had been carried off, the red team’s substitute had taken the field, and the match was about to continue.

The colorful ball was thrown onto the field again. Young Master Xu seemed to gain confidence, spurring his horse forward, and those around him hurriedly followed.

The last clouds in the sky were blown away, leaving only a clear blue sky. The air grew hotter, as if throwing people into a fiery pot. Ice mirrors and fans were useless, and the heat made hearts restless. Everyone could only stare intently at the center of the field.

The colorful ball danced between the crescent sticks, green and red clothes vying back and forth, the horses’ hooves kicking up dust.

—Bang!

The colorful ball rolled out from under the white horse, hitting a waiting wooden stick, and flew into the air the next second.

Young Master Xu swung hard into the air, sending the ball several meters forward, as if Sheng Shiyue had truly agreed to his deal.

His expression grew more joyful, and he couldn’t help turning to urge his teammate beside him, “Hurry up!”

He wanted to reclaim his lost face, and the sooner the match ended, the better!

But the next second, the green clothes in his eyes were replaced by scarlet. The golden necklace rose and fell, making the surrounding gemmed ornaments shimmer with dazzling light.

His pupils shrank, and he saw the gem-encrusted polo stick swing toward his horse’s legs.

—Bang!

What happened before repeated exactly.

The black horse fell to the ground, and Young Master Xu, who had been smug moments ago, let out a heart-wrenching cry of pain.

Yet Sheng Shiyue didn’t stop. Alone with her horse, she swung the colorful ball again. No one dared to block her, and no one could. They could only watch as she sent the ball into the goal frame once more.

“Zhengming!”

Someone shouted, pushing past the guards and rushing onto the field from the sidelines.

The suddenly silent crowd snapped awake, bursting into waves of clamor, with words like “wastrel,” “vicious,” and “bully” repeatedly mentioned.

The referee at the edge hesitated, unsure whether to pull down the green cloth.

The instigator, however, leisurely turned her horse, trotting back slowly, stopping in front of the sweating Young Master Xu.

A shadow fell, enveloping Xu Zhengming. He endured the intense pain, clutching his leg with both hands, his face growing paler, trembling as he said, “You… you clearly agreed to help me…”

A mocking laugh answered him.

Sheng Shiyue didn’t dismount, looking down at him with a commanding air. She said, “You hurt my people. Did you think you could get away with it like that?”

Her tone was somewhat casual, as if teasing a cat or walking a dog, but those below inexplicably shivered. Struggling, he shouted his final card, “My mother is… is…”

“Censor-in-Chief Lord Xu,” Sheng Shiyue finished for him, her eyes showing no trace of fear, still frivolous and lazy. She said, “And then?”

She even carried a playful tone, as if eagerly awaiting a good answer from him.

But Xu Zhengming could say nothing. Even one of the Three Excellencies wasn’t taken seriously by Sheng Shiyue. What else was there? What more could he say?

Sheng Shiyue yawned out of boredom, her spine slumping as if she’d lost interest. She said impatiently, “I’m in a good mood today, so I’ll give you one night. Tomorrow, send the medical expenses, my crickets, and the mother-of-pearl inlaid purple sandalwood zither. Otherwise…”

She glanced at the person on the ground and continued, “Young Master Xu wouldn’t want word to spread that he bribed his opponent to cheat in a polo match organized by His Majesty, would he?”

Xu Zhengming’s face turned completely ashen, truly experiencing what it meant to be Bianjing’s top wastrel. She not only demanded exact repayment for harming her servant but also wanted a pound of flesh as compensation.

He suddenly remembered something, shouting in desperate anger, “Sheng Shiyue, don’t be too arrogant! His Majesty and the Prime Minister and other officials are watching outside!”

Sheng Shiyue’s expression remained unchanged at first, but when she heard the word “Prime Minister,” her face shifted slightly. She quickly glanced that way, then said, “So what if they’re all there?”

Xu Zhengming, perhaps made clearer by the intense pain, didn’t miss that fleeting change in Sheng Shiyue.

There was a rumor in the streets that Sheng Shiyue, who feared nothing in heaven or earth, was most afraid of Prime Minister Ning Qingge. He had dismissed it before, but now it seemed Sheng Shiyue was truly terrified of her, to the point of paling at her mention.

Looking at Sheng Shiyue again, she had returned to her usual self, her eyes lazy and unrestrained, as if nothing in the world could bind her.

The sound of hooves rose again, leisurely trotting toward the sidelines, her scarlet figure growing smaller. Then came the referee’s loud shout announcing the red team’s victory.

Xu Zhengming’s vision went black, and he fainted from the pain.