spoiled brat

Chapter 64, Section 63: Xiu Ning (Part 3)

Li Wusheng, daring to provoke trouble, naturally possessed some skill. He confidently replied, "Your Highness, you may not know, but I have won all of Yunzhou with my blindfold chess skills."

Xiu Yi said, "Then let's play blindfold chess."

The crowd, which had quieted down, chuckled softly again. Wasn't this just asking for trouble? What a brother, deliberately making his own sister lose face.

The servants of the Xu family brought in white stone slabs, which were marked with lines of latitude and longitude in ink. The black pieces were painted in sky blue, and the white pieces in vermilion. Every move made by both sides was clearly visible to everyone, while the players had to be blindfolded and memorize their own and their opponent's moves in their minds.

Xiu Ning and Li Wusheng took their seats, and servants presented two plain white brocades. Xiu Yi took them, gently brushed aside Xiu Ning's hair, and through the blindfold, Xiu Ning said: "Let her come and play. I'll take her away later."

-

is her.

It really is her!

Zhao Zhao stood with one foot on the stone steps overlooking the water and the other still in the swaying boat, staring blankly at the frost-white figure surrounded by admirers in the small flower hall.

The servant who came to deliver the message saw that she was stunned and pushed her, saying, "Why aren't you leaving? The important person is waiting to hear you play a tune."

As the two lattice doors were pushed open, the smells of alcohol and cosmetics wafted out.

The small flower hall was deathly quiet, all eyes were on Zhao Zhao, watching her tiptoe to Xiu Ning's side.

The servant who led her there said respectfully, "Princess, Young Master, the person has arrived."

Zhao Zhao gripped the neck of the pipa tightly, staring down at her wet shoes. These were shoes from the music academy, embroidered with the most tacky red mandarin ducks playing in the water. She tried to hide the shoes under her skirt, but she couldn't cover them up.

She wanted to be recognized, yet she was also afraid of being recognized. She glanced at the tea table out of the corner of her eye and saw that most of Xiu Ning's face was covered by a plain brocade blindfold, revealing only her pale lips and delicate chin, looking frail and indifferent.

A familiar figure blocked her probing gaze.

Xiu Yi's eyes were calm and expressionless, as if he had never seen her before: "I'll play the song you just played."

Someone handed her a high stool, and Zhao Zhao sat down, tuning her pipa with a cold and precise fingerwork. No one cared how well she played; everyone's eyes were fixed on the old man, the young man, and Xiu Yi on either side of the tea table.

Since there was no sound, Xiu Ning placed a glass of wine beside her, dipped her slender white fingertips in the wine and left a watermark on the table, and then Xiu Yi read it out: "Li Wusheng, you choose."

"No guessing, just let me go first?" Li Wusheng's flushed face darkened.

Although he was embarrassed, he didn't forget that he was Xu Feng's man, and he jumped out to embarrass the two siblings.

Black has the advantage of striking first and attacking, so he shamelessly said, "I'll play Black."

With two light taps of fingertips on the table, Xiu Ning said, "Okay."

The chess game begins.

"First, the star position."

Li Wusheng was focused on a quick victory and didn't take the thin, pale girl in front of him seriously. He frantically attacked, invaded, and targeted weaknesses. The black pieces in his mind were placed on the chessboard of his heart, and each move was accompanied by his verbal instructions.

The person opposite him was mute, so it would take time for someone to relay his words, giving him more time to think.

Logically speaking, he had the upper hand, yet he couldn't break through Xiu Ning's defenses. How could a teenage girl possess such a level of skill in blocking and fighting?

“…Enter the 84th.” Li Wusheng hesitated.

Before the chess-counting boy next to the white stone slab could even make a mark, Xiu Ning had already written down the next move. Xiu Yi read it aloud: "Place 72."

Zhao Zhao didn't understand chess, but she could tell that Li Wusheng was intimidated. The old man gradually slowed down, pondering each move for a long time, while Xiu Ning wrote down the moves faster and faster. Xiu Yi's voice was calm and emotionless as he announced the moves, seemingly certain that Xiu Ning would not lose. "Seven-five." Xiu Yi announced the moves for the fortieth time.

A clap of thunder sounded outside, followed by a torrential downpour. The wind whipped the rain in, wetting Li Wusheng's gray hair. His lips trembled, and he could no longer utter a word.

He lost the entire game after only thirty-nine moves against Xiu Ning.

“No…” Li Wusheng’s old hands clenched so tightly that veins bulged. He ripped off the blindfold, his old eyes bloodshot with rage, and pointed at Xiu Yi, who stood behind Xiu Ning, saying, “Young Master! I’m playing chess with two people!”

Upon hearing this, everyone was shocked. After a moment's reaction, they realized that he meant Xiu Yi was not blindfolded and could see the white stone slab, thus placing the piece in place of Xiu Ning.

Someone suddenly realized, "So that's it! I was wondering why our Yunzhou chess master lost to a mere young girl!"

Someone else added fuel to the fire: "Exactly! Although there are rumors that the princess is an unparalleled chess player, her offensive and defensive style is quite like that of a military strategist, which is not something a young lady from a noble family could have..."

Immediately, someone else concluded: "That's it! The young master has been leading troops into battle with the prince for many years, so his chess skills are naturally superb..."

With a few casual words, Xiu Ning was reduced to a weak woman who relied on her brother for favor. She did not remove the blindfold and remained seated calmly.

Zhao Zhao couldn't stand it anymore. She stopped playing the pipa and was about to get up to defend her when Xiu Yi coldly said, "According to what you all say, just because my sister is a girl, does that mean her chess skills are fake? I'm not as good as her."

Everyone was speechless. Xiu Yi had the servants of the Xu family turn the white stone slab over, and then said to Li Wusheng, "If you think it's fake, just pick someone in this scene to replace me."

Li Wusheng scanned the crowd, about to find a familiar colleague, when Zhao Zhao put down her pipa and stood up: "My lord, since you suspect that the person playing the chess game is biased towards the princess, why don't you ask me?"

She was dressed in the gaudy clothes of a musician, but her back was straight. She said neither humbly nor arrogantly, "The other adults here are more or less knowledgeable about chess, but I only know a few words and know nothing about chess. I am powerless to help with the cheating. It is most appropriate for you to choose me to sing the chess game."

Li Wusheng was speechless after hearing these words and didn't know what to say.

Seeing that Zhao Zhao was trying to curry favor with Xiu Ning and risking losing control, You Ming immediately emerged from the crowd and shouted, "How can a mere prostitute of such lowly status be worthy to be the successor of the princess?"

He tried to intimidate Zhao Zhao with his status, but as soon as he finished speaking, Xiu Ning, who had been sitting silently, stood up.

She was still blindfolded, but reached out her hand based on Zhao Zhao's voice.

Everyone was stunned. How could people of different social classes be so close?

Zhao Zhao was also stunned. She stared blankly at Xiu Ning... the person who had saved her once before, who had once again invited her soul.

With his palm empty, Xiu Ning didn't receive another hand and reached forward instinctively. The two weren't actually close, about five steps apart. Zhao Zhao took three steps forward, smelled the delicate fragrance emanating from Xiu Ning, and quickly took a step back, afraid that her vulgar perfume would offend him.

Neither advancing nor retreating, Zhao Zhao didn't dare approach, nor did she want to soil that jade-white hand. With a thud, she knelt down three steps away, suppressing her excitement as she said, "...Serving you is my honor."

No one dared to say anything more.

The attendant helped Zhao Zhao to sit down at the tea table and then played chess for Xiu Ning.

The game resumes.

In the previous round, Xiu Ning gave Li Wusheng the first move, but Li Wusheng still lost. In this round, Li Wusheng let Xiu Ning go first, and Xiu Ning raised his hand to write a response. Zhao Zhao read it aloud: "Li Wusheng, the princess gives you a ten-piece handicap."

Upon hearing this, everyone present was shocked. What is the difference between giving a ten-stone handicap in Go and directly resigning?
Li Wusheng gritted his teeth and forced a smile: "Thank you, Princess, but it's not necessary."

In the previous game, he was too careless and only focused on attacking, thus exposing his weaknesses to his opponent. In this game, he was extra cautious, thinking three steps ahead for every step he took, and steadily played fifty rounds with Xiu Ning.

The more pieces there are, the more complex the thoughts become. At first, Li Wusheng could keep up, but Xiu Ning gradually gained momentum and revealed his true strength, forcing Li Wusheng to lose his footing and fall into a disadvantageous position again.

(End of this chapter)