Top Scholar

Chapter 293 Two Carriages Mismatch

"General!" Su Lu lowered the red chariot to the bottom, forming a 'double chariot cross'.

When executing this move, it is often done in coordination with other units to form a continuous attack posture in order to compress the opponent's defensive space.

After forcing the opponent's general to leave his position, the two rooks finally completed the checkmate!
"I lost." Su Youcai put down his chess piece with a wry smile, admitting defeat. "Can't you let your dad win a game?"

"It's best not to think too much about how Second Uncle could be checkmated by a 'double rook checkmate'," commented Su Man, who was watching the game.

Su Lu has already asked all the reinforcements he could for, and now he can only wait for news at home.

Seeing that he was distracted, Su Youcai insisted on playing chess with him, saying he wanted to help him distract himself.

As a result, Brother Youcai suffered ten consecutive losses...

"Let's play again." Su Lu said expressionlessly as he rearranged the pieces.

"..." Seeing this, Su Youcai also rearranged the black pieces. Letting his son play a mindless game and relax a bit was a good thing.

~~
The Military Affairs Office, the main hall of the rear office.

After Pang Shanzhang and Xiao Tixue took their seats, Huang Kegan sat down next to them.

“Jueshan, call your daughter out and let this old man see if my little apprentice is good enough for her.” The old abbot picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said with a smile, “Don’t worry, I won’t tell her why she’s here. I definitely won’t make things difficult for you.”

"Yes." Huang Ke could only obediently instruct Huang Feng, "Call your sister out to pay her respects to the old master and the Grandmaster."

"Yes," Huang Feng replied respectfully, and quickly went to the back to call Huang E.

"Does the old man know that you two are the third group to propose marriage today?" Huang Ke said with a wry smile, holding up three fingers. "They're all here to propose marriage to that boy."

"It's alright, doesn't it just seem more solemn?" Master Pang said with a smile, "My disciple has that kind of fierce spirit, and only people like that can achieve great things in the future."

"Haha, indeed, you can never have too many suitors. The more suitors, the more it shows they value your daughter!" Xiao, the provincial education commissioner, was unaware that Yang Shen was coming for a blind date. This wasn't because Su Lu intentionally tricked him, but because Su Lu himself didn't know…

"This is too heavy..." Huang Ke said helplessly.

He had to admit that the kid had pushed him to an unbearable level...

~~
Inside the embroidered pavilion, Huang E was giving a lesson to Xiao Tiantian.

"The cart is heavy and the clothes are like reeds. How could I not think of you? But I fear you and dare not."

The cart rumbles on, my fur coat is as fine as jade. How could I not think of you? I fear you will not run away.

"Though we live in separate rooms in death, we will share the same grave. If you do not believe me, let the bright sun shine upon you!"

Huang E reads a sentence, Xiao Tiantian repeats it, and then Huang E explains it to her.

"...Do I not miss you? I'm just afraid you won't dare to come and meet me."

At this moment, heavy footsteps echoed upstairs, and Huang E stopped teaching, coldly looking towards the stairwell. Sure enough, there was that annoying face of the young man.

"Sister," Huang Feng said reluctantly, "Old Master Pang is here, and Father wants you to go out and pay your respects."

"Okay." Huang E nodded and said to Xiao Tiantian, "You practice your calligraphy first."

"Yes, sister," Xiaotian replied respectfully.

"Let's go." Huang E then gestured for Huang Feng to lead the way.

After the brother and sister went downstairs, Xiao Tiantian leaned on the windowsill, watching Huang E's back with worry.

She knew that her second brother had done his best, but the one who could truly make the final decision was her sister Huang E herself...

~~
"Father." Huang E followed Huang Feng around the screen and into the front hall. "You were looking for me?"

"Come quickly and pay your respects to Elder Pang and the Grandmaster," Huang Ke hurriedly called to Huang E.

"Yes." Huang E responded and gracefully approached the two distinguished guests. He curtsied and said softly, "This junior greets the old abbot and the grandmaster. May the old abbot enjoy a long and peaceful life, and may the grandmaster also enjoy good health."

"Hehe, good." Xiao Tixue stroked his beard and nodded, his eyes lighting up as he looked at the beautiful and intelligent young woman before him.

He finally understood why, despite countless suitors lining up at the Su family's doorstep, Su Lu had chosen only this one drink from among all the beautiful women in the world.

Because this one bushel is worth more than a thousand...

"Hehehe..." The old mountain chief also laughed happily, clearly extremely satisfied with the young girl.

"Good, good child." The old headmaster asked Huang E kindly how old she was and what books she had read. He also gave her a thin guqin score, "Jieshi Tune: Youlan," as a gift.

"Young girls dislike the old man's things, but you should like this sheet music."

"Thank you, Elder, I like it very much. I really like it too—" Huang E accepted the sheet music with both hands, her gaze firm and her tone resolute:
"Su Hongzhi!"

"Huang E!" Huang Feng exclaimed in shock.

Huang E ignored him completely and continued reciting:

"I pledged my life to you on the Stone of Three Incarnations, and our dreams are filled with the blooming of twin lotus blossoms."

"One life, one love; together we'll grow old amidst the green hills, sharing dawn and dusk!"

"..." Huang Ke stared intently at his bold daughter, his face ashen.

He realized he was checkmated—the little girl who went to school with his daughter must have already told her the news.

He actually knew about this loophole a long time ago, but due to a very subtle psychological reason, he never plugged it.

Today, the thousand-mile dike finally collapsed due to a single flaw… Xiao Tixue was dumbfounded, never expecting the drama at Huang Bingxian's house to be so captivating…

"This, this..." The old mountain chief said to Huang Ke with an embarrassed look, "Jueshan, this old man didn't say anything."

"Heh... It's alright, sir." Huang Ke quickly composed himself and forced a smile that looked more like a grimace. "The two children are childhood sweethearts, and I didn't expect they had feelings for each other all along."

"Father!" Huang Feng exclaimed again.

Huang Bingxian turned his head and stared at Huang Feng with a cold, hawk-like gaze, and sneered, "It must have been you who leaked the information to your sister, right?!"

The last two words were bitten out between his teeth.

Huang Feng felt a chill run down his spine and nodded with difficulty, saying, "That's how it is."

"What a good brother!" the old mountain chief praised, then said to Huang Ke, "Jueshan, don't blame him. It's perfectly normal for a brother to side with his sister. He just hopes your daughter will marry a loving man!"

“Yes,” Xiao Tixue chimed in, “Most marriages in this world are arranged by strangers and end in disharmony. Marriages between childhood sweethearts who are mutually in love are truly precious.”

Then he said to Huang Feng, "You're a responsible older brother!"

"Grandmaster, you flatter me." Huang Feng said, his voice trembling with emotion, feeling like he wanted to die.

"Was that poem you just read written by that brat?" the old mountain chief asked Huang E gossipy.

"Mmm." Huang E nodded shyly. "I just blurted it out in my excitement."

Then she apologized to Huang Ke, saying, "It's not my fault, young man. I was being reckless. Please punish me, Father."

Huang E was very clever. Seeing her father's stance change, she immediately transformed from an unruly girl into a well-behaved one.

"Alright, go down now. Father knows your intentions." Huang Ke waved his hand, signaling Huang E to leave.

"Yes." Huang E bowed deeply to the old abbot and Grandmaster Fu Yi and said, "You two elders are too kind. This junior will take his leave."

"Go ahead, my good girl." Pang Shanchang smiled and reassured her, "Don't worry, Grandpa has it all covered."

"Mmm!" Huang E nodded emphatically, barely suppressing the smile on her face. She was already being kind to her father by not jumping out of the room...

After her figure disappeared behind the screen, Huang Bingxian said with a wry smile, "A daughter is like a tree that cannot be kept at home once she grows up. I'm sorry to have made you two laugh."

"It's alright, they're all our own children, it doesn't matter what," the old mountain chief said kindly.

"It's all the same, staying together only leads to enmity." Xiao Tixue laughed: "My daughter insisted on marrying her cousin back then, and we couldn't stop her. Fortunately, the young couple are very loving and have always had a good relationship."

"Sigh, it's true what they say, the more children you have, the more trouble you'll have," Huang Ke sighed.

"Doesn't this give you one less enemy?" the old mountain chief asked with a smile.

"Fertile Mountain, tell me, has my matchmaking been successful?"

"Yes, of course it counts." Huang Ke nodded helplessly. Her daughter had already said those things in front of the old mountain chief, so the die was cast.

"Hahaha, then all our efforts as matchmakers to visit have not been in vain." The old mountain chief was so happy that his double chin trembled.

"As expected, there is strength in numbers." Xiao Tixue also laughed, "Hongzhi understands you, his future father-in-law, and knows that one or two matchmakers won't be enough. You'll need three matchmakers to get you to open your mouth and nod your head."

"That brat is overthinking it. Do you think I'm that kind of unreasonable person?" Huang Ke swallowed his anger, blood gushing from his throat.

"I just didn't want to easily agree to marry my daughter after raising her all this time. Who would have thought he would actually invite you two great figures here? I can only give you two a definite answer now."

"Don't force yourself," the old headmaster said with a smile.

"No, no, I'm not forcing it." Huang Ke forced a smile. "I'm quite satisfied with that kid, but don't tell him that, or he'll get all cocky."

"Of course." The old mountain chief nodded and said, "We will definitely help you establish the prestige of Mount Tai and not let that brat cause trouble."

As he spoke, he made a move to get up, and Huang Ke and Xiao Tixue quickly stepped forward to help him up.

"Alas, I'm getting old and useless. I'm already exhausted after just a short while out." The old headmaster sighed and said, "Hongzhi will still have to rely on the two of you for support in the future."

"Of course," the two nodded hurriedly.

Huang Ke quickly ordered his official sedan chair to be brought over to escort the old scholar back.

"Then, Huang Bingbei, I will also take my leave." Xiao Tixue cupped his hands and smiled, "I hope that before I leave my post, I can drink the wine of my disciple's wedding."

"Hehe, definitely, definitely." Huang Ke was speechless. Shouldn't you be on Yang Shen's side?

The grandmaster, kept in the dark, got into the sedan chair with a smile and went home satisfied.

"Father!" As soon as the outsiders left, Huang Feng broke down in his voice and shouted, "How could you be with Yang..."

"Shut up!" Huang Ke raised her hand and slapped Huang Feng across the face, silencing him instantly.

Huang Ke grabbed his collar and whispered, "If you want our family to become the laughingstock of the whole of Luzhou, then keep shouting!"

With that, she shoved him away forcefully, then turned and left with a dark expression.

Huang Feng plopped down on the ground, on the verge of tears...

Now look what's happened! Yang Shen is no longer a reliable source of income, and Su Lu has been thoroughly offended; even his own sister hates him to death.

He wrongly acted as a bad person, and ended up pleasing neither side.

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(End of this chapter)