After saving the Empress, I became the top scholar in the imperial examination.

The courtyard is three-tiered, surrounded by flowers and plants, bathed in moonlight and gentle breeze.

The corridors on both sides are brightly lit, like twinkling stars.

The light, whether red, white, or yellow, spills into every corner of the courtyard, vying with the bright moon for brilliance, and casting extremely long shadows on everyone who comes and goes.

In the open-air banquet hall, Prince Xin's table was placed at the head of the table, with a white jade beaded curtain hanging down beneath its bright yellow phoenix-shaped top.

As the autumn wind blew, the beaded curtain jingled. His Highness Prince Xin, wearing a round-necked open-front jacket with gold-threaded dragon patterns and a crown, had a face brighter than the stars, piercing eyes, and an imposing presence.

On both sides of the courtyard, dozens of sandalwood tables were set up, where distinguished guests dressed in fine clothes sat, chatting and laughing, raising their glasses in celebration, and spending the Mid-Autumn Festival together.

Amidst the lively yet orderly atmosphere, figures moved about, with eunuchs in blue robes and palace maids in colorful dresses bowing and weaving among them.

Whether changing dishes, pouring wine, setting out writing brushes and ink, or fetching paper, their voices were as soft as mosquitoes, their footsteps silent, daring not to neglect the distinguished guests at the table in the slightest.

In the center of the three-courtyard house, a chessboard with nineteen horizontal and vertical lines, crafted from Baoshan Yongzi jade, is placed upright.

The middle-aged scholar on the east side wore a moon-white robe, holding a piece of white chess piece as white as egg white in his left hand. He had an elegant demeanor and a confident expression.

He looked at the old man opposite him, who was wearing a black Confucian hat and a square cap, with a smile on his face, waiting for the other party to make a move.

The old man possessed an ethereal and profound air, his long, strong fingers outstretched.

A dark, raven-black piece is sent into the opponent's territory with a soft "thud".

As the chess pieces were placed on the board, an aura of detachment and sagehood instantly spread, causing even guests who didn't understand Go to feel a sense of awe.

Such a chess game is not as exciting as the back-and-forth, pawn-to-pawn, cannon-to-cannon battles in the second round.

However, the two men's composed demeanor, their commanding presence as they laid out their strategies and viewed the small chessboard as a battlefield, was akin to a whale hidden in shallow waters, with turbulent undercurrents surging and colliding, and deadly intent lurking at every step.

The Northern Dynasty's Emperor Wenzong, named Nalan Ruo, glanced at the chessboard, raised his eyebrows, and smiled, "The headmaster's move really caught Nalan off guard."

Headmaster Gongsun, who had been in charge of Bailu Academy for twenty years, withdrew his right hand. The jade pendant on his thumb gleamed in the moonlight. He smiled slightly and said:

"Brother Nalan is too modest. Your esteemed disciple utterly annihilated my Jiangnan army in the second courtyard. I am foolish and dull-witted. Even if I am no match for Brother Nalan and cannot slay your great dragon, I can at least kill a small dragon to save face."

Nalan smiled and said, "My disciple can even beat his master. He is a talented person who far surpasses me. The gentlemen of the Southern Dynasty do not need to belittle themselves. Let's just have some fun."

Upon hearing this, the somewhat gloomy expressions on the faces of the guests on both sides finally brightened a bit. This Nalan Wenzong actually did know a few things about Han Chinese etiquette.

The King of Qi, sitting on the right, laughed and said, "Not bad, not bad at all. Nalan Wenzong has an extraordinary bearing. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would hardly believe that such a beautiful jade could exist in the world! Come, let me offer a toast to the envoy and the prodigy!" The King of Qi raised his cup and drank it all in one gulp.

Across from him, the Northern Dynasty's envoy, Da Chun, dressed in a dark blue Northern Dynasty official robe, immediately stroked his beard, stood up, raised his cup, and smiled:

"On behalf of Tong Jia, I thank Prince Qi." Da Chun also drank the wine in his golden cup in one gulp. Prince Qi smiled and gestured for him to take a seat.

Immediately, the deputy envoy Nilong, wearing a red-tasseled hat, stood up and smiled at the Southern Court officials, saying, "Gentlemen, since Tong Jia first defeated this Wu—"

His gaze swept across the room, landing on Wu Yanchou at the far right.

He laughed and said, "This is Chess Master Wu. Chess Master Wu wins three and loses seven."

Wu Yanchou immediately turned his head away without saying a word, his face ashen. As a fifth-rank official in the Ministry of Revenue, he was not originally qualified to enter the Third Courtyard, but because of his status as the "Chess Saint," the Prince's Mansion naturally reserved a place for him.

I had planned to challenge Nalan to a game of chess. Even if I couldn't defeat him, I only needed to win five out of ten games to save face for the Southern Dynasty.

Even if he only wins four games, once he takes the stage, his nephew Wu Shangguan will observe his moves and devise a way to break the deadlock. If he then takes the stage and wins five or six more games, the Southern Dynasty will have won a great victory! This is because his nephew is nearly twenty years younger than Nalan.

If my nephew wins, he will gain the favor of Prince Xin, and that favor will be within reach.

Who would have thought that Nalan Ruo would so disregard Jiangnan, claiming that his apprentice's chess skills were even superior to his own, and only sending his twelve-year-old apprentice to compete, which immediately caused an uproar among the crowd!

If Nalan hadn't claimed that "his apprentice's chess skills were superior to his," Wu Yanchou, respecting his status, certainly wouldn't have participated.

But when the other party said that, he had a sudden thought and said, "I would like to experience the skill of your disciple." He thought that after winning against the disciple, according to Nalan's words, he would no longer need to play chess with him.

But to his surprise, what Nalan Ruo said was actually true! Wu Yanchou was playing chess, but he was so angry that his face turned ashen and his back felt cold.

What infuriated him even more was that his nephew was so disappointing!

At least he managed to win three and lose seven, while his nephew, whose chess skills were clearly superior to his own, ended up losing all ten games!

I don't know if it was because there were too many people watching, but in any case, my nephew is just a pretty face with no substance and can't be presented in any way!

The deputy envoy opposite him, Nilon, had a slightly chubby face, two small mustaches, and a cheerful smile. The coral-red bead on his hat gleamed dark red in the moonlight.

Dingzhu smiled and continued, "Then," his voice suddenly rose several octaves,

"Tong Jia has once again defeated Wu, the top scholar of your dynasty, with a perfect record of ten wins in ten games... Sigh... I wonder... if there is any other talented person willing to help Tong Jia's father teach Tong Jia a lesson... To be honest, this kid has been unruly for a long time because he can play a few games of chess. That's why Tong Jia's father asked Nalan Wenzong to take him south, hoping to teach this kid a lesson about the limits of human ability."

Upon hearing this, the people of the Northern Dynasty burst into laughter. Even the envoys from Russia, Korea, Siam, and Annam couldn't help but smile. However, their smiles vanished when the old eunuch beside Prince Xin cast his gaze upon them.

They wanted him to know the limits of his own power... If no one in the Southern Dynasty could defeat him, it would mean that the Southern Dynasty's power was limited. The officials of the Southern Dynasty immediately became indignant.

Nilon stretched out his hand, pointing to a small platform in front of Prince Xin, on which sat an exquisitely patterned brocade box. Nilon smiled and said:

"If no one is willing to do this, then the prize that His Highness Prince Xin set up will be taken away by this little girl, Tong Jia."

The faces of the Southern Dynasty officials on both sides turned grim, their eyes darkened, and a murmur arose in the room.

After a moment, in the seat where the Qin chief minister should have been next to the King of Qi—Qin chief minister's eldest son, Qin Langzhong, the Minister of Revenue—smiled and said:

"Your Excellency, Mr. Nalan, your prodigy has already defeated two people in a row. After a full twenty games, he must be exhausted. It is not advisable for him to think any further today. In my opinion, there is plenty of time in the future. Your prodigy should just stay in my capital for a few more days, and he will know how elegant and refined my Jiangnan region is."

Qin Xi's words, neither humble nor arrogant, immediately drew cheers from the Southern Dynasty's crowd. They praised him as the eldest son of the Grand Secretary, saying that he had first devised a delaying tactic and had not damaged the Southern Dynasty's reputation.

"Qin Langzhong is overthinking it," Nalan Wenzong, who was playing chess with Gongsun Shanzhang, said with a distracted laugh. "Chess is not wrestling or archery, and there's no such thing as a simultaneous tournament. If any of you want to play chess with Tong Jia, you can let him play with ten people at the same time. Chess is a game that gets more and more exciting the longer you play."

"Hehe." Qin Xi stroked his beard and chuckled. "In that case," he looked at his son Qin Yun beside him and said with a smile, "Yun'er, go and experience the extraordinary skills of the Northern Dynasty's child prodigy." Qin Yun immediately nodded and stood up, saying in a deep voice, "Yes!"

……

……

Upon entering the courtyard.

BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!

Ning Nan stood in the center of five square tables, patting them and shouting, "Manager Chen, Manager Chen, could you please bring five more chess sets and five more tables?"