John Johnson sneered and said, “Do you think Mr. Hill hasn’t hired any outside help? On the surface, he’s letting Victor King be his pitcher, but Victor King broke his leg at the beginning of the year and hasn’t recovered yet—he can’t even get on the field. He’s just putting on a show for me, trying to make me lower my guard. I know he’s actually hired an outside black polo player.”

Polo is the national sport of the Great Tang, with an official agency called the Polo Bureau, which is under the Ministry of War—similar to today’s Football Association.

To become a professional polo player, you must pass the Polo Bureau’s exam.

Under the Polo Bureau, there is also a Polo Association, made up of the twenty-six strongest professional polo teams, which holds a polo league every year.

Polo players registered with the Polo Association are called “white players,” and they generally belong to one of the twenty-six professional teams.

There’s another kind of polo player who doesn’t belong to any team—anyone can hire them to play, and they make a living from the game. These players have also passed the Polo Bureau’s exam, so they are professional players too, but since they’re not registered with the Polo Association, everyone calls them “black players,” or freelance players.

But the Tang Dynasty was relatively tolerant and didn’t exclude these black players. As long as someone hires them, they can participate in any polo match—this is an unwritten rule of the profession.

The logic is simple: for example, princes and nobles all play polo and have passed the Polo Bureau’s recommendation or exam. They are, in fact, also black players. To discriminate against black players would be to discriminate against the nobles themselves.

So the rules have to be flexible. The key is that someone has to hire you—no matter how good you are at polo, if no one hires you, you have no chance to play and earn money.

Benjamin Johnson understood. “So Father, you also want to keep Big Brother Thompson hidden as a secret weapon?”

John Johnson nodded. “Mr. Hill has always had a grudge against me. If he becomes the Chief Steward this time, I probably won’t last long in the prince’s residence. Little Brother Thompson is my surprise move!”

Benjamin Johnson was quick-witted. He thought for a moment and said, “Actually, there’s another way. Big Brother Thompson is so skilled at polo—if we can find a way for the prince to see his skills, and the prince is impressed by his talent, then Father will get the credit, and the prince could use that as a reason to promote you to Chief Steward, right?”

John Johnson stroked his beard and smiled happily. “My son, you make sense. Recommending talent brings merit, and the prince would never treat me unfairly. But the best dish should be served last.”

Suddenly, John Johnson remembered something and hurriedly asked, “He’s not a black player, is he?”

“Absolutely not. Big Brother Thompson is a newcomer. Please rest assured, Father!”

……

In the garden of a large mansion in Pingkang Ward, a tall, thin man in military uniform was sitting at a table drinking tea. Not far away, a middle-aged man stood with his hands behind his back.

The man in uniform took a sip of tea and smiled slightly. “Kevin King, that child has recovered, and it seems he’s become a different person.”

“That’s impossible!”

The middle-aged man slowly turned around. He was tall and elegant, with a fair, jade-like complexion, clear eyes, and a short beard. In his youth, he must have been a rare handsome man. His features bore a striking resemblance to Adam Thompson.

“How could he have changed? Hasn’t he always been that foolish, irritable boy?” The man’s tone clearly showed disbelief.

“He’s completely changed. After his recovery, he stopped fighting and instead used polo to win over those rich young men, even making friends with one of them—turning hostility into friendship.”

“Is that really so?”

The middle-aged man was a bit surprised. “And what else?”

“He’s become sensible too. His mother was bitten by a venomous snake…”

“What?”

The middle-aged man was startled. “San-niang was bitten by a snake? When did this happen?”

“It was the day before yesterday. San-niang was at death’s door, but that child actually borrowed thirty taels of silver from a rich young man, then rushed overnight to buy snake medicine from Jason Warren, saving his mother’s life. He almost missed the closing of the ward gates. He never had this kind of presence of mind before.”

The middle-aged man pondered for a long time, then sighed. “Help me pay back the silver for him—thirty taels. How could he and his mother possibly afford it? San-niang is so stubborn, alas!”

“I’ve decided to keep teaching him!” the man in uniform added.

The middle-aged man smiled. “Didn’t you say his aptitude was too poor? You taught him polo at the ancestral temple for ten years, and he just couldn’t grasp it?”

“He gets it now, and he’s grasped it very well. I’m truly amazed. I really want to keep teaching him. Before, he only laid the foundation. I want to guide him through the door, and if fate allows, help him reach an even higher level.”

“Didn’t you say before that it wasn’t your decision to make?”

“Now it is!”

The middle-aged man nodded. “You’re his uncle. You decide! I have no objections.”

The man in uniform bowed and left. The middle-aged man stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the sky and muttering to himself, “Could this be fate?”

……

At noon, Adam Thompson was busy at home—chopping firewood, fetching water, cleaning the yard. All the physical labor here was his responsibility, and he also had to grind medicine for his mother.

Firewood was expensive. In the past, his mother would gather herbs outside the city and bring back some firewood as well. Their family had no livestock, so it was always Adam Thompson who carried dozens of pounds of wood home.

Of course, that was the former Adam Thompson. The current Adam Thompson hasn’t had a chance to leave the city yet.