Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 167 Relaxation
Xie Yuyan said that Wang Yan made two moves: once to remind her of the location of the clay stove, and once by pressing the chess piece onto the back of her hand.

In a game of chess, teaching someone to play is like this: giving them hints and inspiration so they can discover their weaknesses and key pieces, which can then be remedied.

Now that Wang Yan has pointed it out, how can we not make amends for her?
Therefore, she must fill in this piece herself.

Other things can be argued about, but cheating a little in a game of chess is nothing. Besides, in Xie Yuyan's mind, it was Wang Yan who cheated. He left behind so many chess records, and she remembered almost every one of them clearly. She thought she understood his chess style very well, but it turned out that it was all a lie.

Thinking this way, a competitive spirit gradually developed.

At the end of the game, the dead pieces were refilled, and the team lost to Wang Yan by a full four lines.

Xie Yuyan was still somewhat unsatisfied, so he cleared the chessboard and started another game.

Mother Yu waited in the meditation room next door, occasionally coming out to check on the situation. Sang Dian, who was at the door, said, "They're still playing chess inside."

Yu's mother thanked Sang Dian and then handed him a handful of roasted longans.

Normally, Sang Dian is not allowed to eat while protecting the young master, but today, in the temple, the atmosphere seems particularly good, and Sang Dian can't refuse.

"This is the first time I've heard that my wife can play chess," said Mama Yu.

In fact, ever since the lady came to the Yang family, she has been busy with all sorts of things every day. The most relaxing time was when she listened to Jiulang recite his lessons.

The old lady seemed to be used to this.

Yu's mother and Zhang's mother mentioned to each other privately more than once that the eldest daughter-in-law should take a break, because being too tense will always harm her health.

But the lady had her own reasons, and no amount of persuasion would change her mind.

It's a rare treat to have a moment of leisure here, to be able to play chess with Lord Wang in peace and quiet.

Sang Dian put a longan into her mouth. It was sweet and warm. Xie Niangzi's side was so nice. As for her husband... she wished she could sew his mouth shut.

Sang Dian was overjoyed and started talking: "My husband's chess skills are... average. It's probably because you let him win." He still remembered how his husband couldn't beat He Langjun when he was a child and stayed up all night studying chess scores. Although he was no longer a child, in his heart, his husband was not as good as Madam Xie at this moment.

Mother Yu couldn't help but smile.

Sang Dian finished eating the longan in his hand, then took out the purse from his waist: "Inside is some dried meat for the cat. We haven't seen the cat for the past few days, so Mother, please take this back for it!"

However, Madam Yu did not accept the gift. There was plenty of food for the cat at home, and besides, the Wang family did not really want to send food, but rather wanted to see the cat.

If she accepts, the cat will have no more interest in her, so wouldn't it be even less likely to go back?
Mother Yu smiled and said, "It's because it's on its mind that you can see it. Otherwise... you can come to the Yang family to feed the cat. If it's difficult to get through the front door, just tell the old woman at the back door and ask me to guide you."

Sang Dian's eyes lit up. That meant he wouldn't have to climb over the wall. The Yang family's wall was easy to climb, but catching the cat was time-consuming, and waiting on the roof was freezing cold; his hands were completely numb.

As the two were talking, they saw the door to the meditation room open.

Mother Yu hurried over to greet him, and saw that it was Lord Wang standing at the door.

Wang Yan handed over a hand warmer, which Sang Dian hurriedly accepted.

"Bring some more charcoal."

Madam Yu glanced at the hand warmer and saw that it belonged to her mistress. She couldn't help but want to peek inside through the crack, but Lord Wang had blocked the doorway tightly, preventing any breeze from getting in, so she couldn't see what was going on inside.

The door closed, but the figure behind it didn't move until Sang Dian returned the hand warmer, at which point the door reopened.

During this brief moment, Yu's mother finally caught a glimpse of her wife.

The woman was engrossed in watching the chessboard, seemingly unaware of what was happening around her.

Wang Yan closed the door and went back inside.

The hand warmer was handed back, and Xie Yuyan naturally took it and hugged it back to his arms, but his eyes were reluctant to leave the chessboard.

Only after she realized the key to the game did she place the piece she was holding. This time, the game was over, but she had to surrender four pieces, and still lost.

However, even when I lost the game, I felt exceptionally exhilarated.

Xie Yuyan felt for the hand warmer, and the warmth from her palm quickly spread throughout her body, feeling exceptionally comforting. Her eyebrows also relaxed.

She then came to her senses and realized that Wang Yan had just changed her hand warmer.

Unexpectedly, Wang Yan would do these things.

“It’s getting late,” Wang Yan said. “Let’s go down the mountain soon. We can go down Jiulupan another day.”

I thought I would come to the temple to discuss the next steps with him, but before I could even get to the point, we lost several games of chess.

Although it was a waste of time, Xie Yuyan felt it was still good.

She seemed unable to shake off the wars of her past life, forgetting what it felt like to be at leisure. Now, however, she felt completely relaxed. The only pity was that she would have to go down the Ninth Road again another day.

“Last year, I was in a similar situation to you, always feeling like I couldn’t stop for a moment,” Wang Yan said calmly.

Xie Yuyan didn't know what he was referring to. After thinking carefully, he realized that nothing had happened to the Wang family in the sixth year of the Zhiping era. However, the Liang Dynasty suffered a defeat in the northern war, losing an army, which led to peace talks between the two countries.

Could it be that the battle was related to Wang Yan?

That's why he followed He Tan to Daming Prefecture to secretly investigate those military officers.
Wang Yan lowered his eyes, concealing his emotions: "Some things have to be done slowly."

After Mama Yu entered the room to help Xie Yuyan put on his cloak, she and Wang Yan walked out of the meditation room one after the other.

Xie Yuyan sat in the carriage, lifted the curtain and looked out. Wang Yan led his men on horseback in front. Although he did not give any instructions along the way, he escorted them all the way to Yong'an Ward.

Upon arriving at the Yang family's gate, Xie Yuyan alighted from the carriage, and Sang Dian dismounted to relay the message: "The young master says that the eldest mistress should feel free to make arrangements if needed."

After finishing his sentence, Sang Dian glanced at the alley to the right of the Yang family's house, indicating that he would arrange for someone to wait there.

"Thank you for your trouble, Lord Wang."

Sang Dian received the reply and left quickly.

Xie Yuyan also entered the Yang family's gate: "Go and call Shi Yong and Xiao Shan over. I have something to say to them."

Now we need to plan the next steps.

Back inside, Zhang immediately went to greet Xie Yuyan, reaching out to take her hand. She was relieved to find that Xie's hand was not as cold as usual.

"It's so cold, and you've been out for so long. You should wear more clothes next time."

Xie Yuyan nodded.

Hearing the commotion, Yang Qin ran in and bowed to Xie Yuyan: "Sister-in-law, what good things happened today? Tell me about them. Did the Xie family really smash all those clay stoves?"

"Smash it."

Xie Yuyan spoke simply, and Mother Yu continued, "Not a single one was left. Jiulang didn't even see what the Xie family looked like. They burned a whole rack of clay stoves, and not a single one was good."

Yang Qin was a little disappointed that he hadn't seen it with his own eyes: "Next time, could I go too?"

"Next time?" Xie Yuyan smiled slightly. "Then I'm afraid it will be a long time before that happens."

Yang Qin was puzzled: "Could it be that the Xie family isn't going to burn down the house?"

The Xie family will definitely burn down, but they probably won't be able to smash anything.

However, all of this was within her calculations; failing to smash it wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Besides, she had already smashed it once; next time, she wouldn't need to lift a finger.