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

The third floor of Kui Xing Tower was brightly lit and bustling with people. Outside the central chessboard, dozens of teachers and students dressed in the uniform of Bailu Academy sat.

While the two players were playing chess, one side placed the chessboard vertically on a high platform to the north, and a servant stood on it to overturn the pieces.

As the young man in the melon-shaped hat placed his piece, the arena fell silent, followed by a chorus of sighs. The crowd looked around, their eyes filled with anxiety.

Those who are able to sit here are either great scholars or outstanding students, many of whom are young talents who have already achieved the title of Juren and are quite proficient in the Nineteen Circuits.

The other party had just attempted robbery, and during the ensuing struggle, Mr. Zhang lost his hand.

After several moves of competition, Mr. Zhang's endgame strategy was suddenly broken, and his opponent made a ko fight, directly breaking the Laurel Chess Formation that Zhang Nanshan was guarding.

This is not because the opponent's chess skill far surpassed Mr. Nanshan's; if the situation were reversed, he might also have been able to break the opponent's defensive position. However, if we only consider this particular game, Mr. Nanshan did indeed lose.

The middle-aged scholar named Zhang You, whose courtesy name was Nanshan, gave a bitter smile, threw the white chess piece he was holding into the chess box with a crisp "clang," which meant he had conceded defeat.

Seeing this scene, the teachers and students of Bailu Academy around sighed, stared in disbelief, and were helpless. They all turned to look at Headmaster Gongsun, who was sitting calmly at the head of the room.

Master Gongsun had white hair and beard, a lean and refined appearance, and an otherworldly air about him. When everyone looked over, they found that the master was resting with his eyes closed.

Seeing that the headmaster remained silent, everyone sighed, unsure of what to say.

The boy in the melon-shaped hat had bright eyes and a handsome appearance. He cupped his hands and smiled, saying, "Mr. Zhang, you flatter me."

Zhang You chuckled and said, "Seventh Young Master has excellent chess skills, but I do not believe I have lost to you."

He played white and set up the Laurel Chess Game, Nalan Ruo.

The opponent, playing black, plays Gongsun Shanzhang, disrupting the white pieces' endgame strategy.

The opponent suffered a defeat in the morning and went back home.

They came again in the afternoon, lost again, and the other party went back home.

Unexpectedly, at the hour of Xu (7-9 PM), the other party came for the third time.

This time, his opponent broke his laurel chess formation.

And it broke through twice in a row.

Bailu Academy has two Zhangs: one is the great Confucian scholar Zhang Jian, who is well-versed in classics and history; the other is the humble Zhang You, who is skilled in chess and the Spring and Autumn Annals.

The headmaster set up the Laurel Chess Game, which is not something that just anyone can play against; one must first get past Zhang You.

Only a handful of people, such as He Weng, Chess Attendant Song Ya, and Imperial Censor Mo Hu, could pass his test.

"Hey! What? You black mole, trying to deny it?"

Upon hearing Zhang You's words, a servant in blue robes behind the boy in the melon-shaped hat got excited, stepped forward, and glared at him.

This young man was thin, bald at the temples, wore a small hat, and had eyes that looked like they were about to bulge out of their sockets; he was somewhat frightening.

Zhang You did indeed have a black mole the size of a quail egg on his left cheek, which he was often ridiculed for as a child. After becoming famous, no one would make fun of him about it anymore. However, the lackey of the boy in the melon-shaped hat was quite rude.

Zhang You's expression darkened.

The servant waved his hand again and said, "You've already lost two rounds, it's old man Gongsun's turn to step down!"

"presumptuous!"

The seventh young master suddenly turned his head and shouted.

"Gui Cai, you lackey, where do you get the audacity to address Mr. Zhang and Mr. Gongsun like that?"

The servant quickly lowered his hands and knelt down with a thud: "This servant knows his mistake."

Zhang You disliked the servant's insults and disliked the two of them singing in unison.

The other party seemed to respect him and Master Gongsun, but in reality, it was nothing more than a poorly staged performance. He snorted.

"Seventh Young Master, although I have lost, I believe I was defeated by your esteemed Emperor Nalan Wenzong, as well as by the three great Confucian scholars Qian Shuwen, Liu Dun, and Fu Yun, not by you yourself. Is that right, Seventh Young Master?" His eyes sharpened, and his tone became slightly unfriendly.

The other party visited three times, but their style of play changed from time to time. Some of his peers inquired and found out that in addition to Nalan Wenzong, the Northern Dynasty delegation also included three great Confucian scholars: Qian, Liu, and Fu. These three were all his mentors.

The Seventh Young Master laughed and said, "Mr. Zhang is right. Whenever I suffer a defeat, I first go back to ask Nalan Wenzong and my three mentors for help in reviewing the game and understanding Mr. Zhang's strategy before coming back to the academy to play against you. This is indeed a clever trick."

A chorus of soft snorts, murmurs of condemnation, and disdain arose from the surrounding area.

However, no one stood up and questioned him loudly. After all, he was the one who played the game.

With its ever-changing nineteen lines, even with the assistance of four highly skilled national players, the opponent's ability to adapt still rests entirely on his own.

However, everyone was still somewhat indignant on Mr. Zhang's behalf, since it seemed that Zhang Nanshan had indeed lost to a boy who was no more than twenty years old.

If they were to disregard the rules of the Laurel Chess Game and actually play against each other, the young man would be no match for Mr. Zhang.

The young man smiled and said, "However... both Mr. Zhang and Master Gongsun are highly respected and trustworthy individuals. Since I have already defeated them two rounds, I wonder if—"

He looked up at the head of the table, where the eyes were closed, and respectfully clasped his hands in greeting:

"Could we ask Master Gongsun to personally offer his guidance?"

Someone nearby waved their sleeve and stood up, saying, "Mr. Zhang may have lost, but we're still here. Why would the headmaster need to personally intervene to teach you a lesson?"

"Exactly!"

"You won by analyzing Senior Brother Zhang's chess moves; if it were someone else, you might not have been able to win!"

"Brother Yuanzhao is absolutely right! How can taking shortcuts be the right path?"

Immediately, the crowd was outraged, and some hot-tempered students even stood up, glaring and echoing the sentiment.

The seventh young master, however, remained calm and composed. A glint of light flashed in his eyes as he surveyed his surroundings and smiled, saying:

"Gentlemen, if you wish to engage in a simultaneous exhibition of chess, I am not afraid. However, I am concerned that if one of you were to play against me in a simultaneous exhibition, and one of you lost, the other would jump out and say that the other person's chess skills were lacking, and that I would teach you a lesson... just like how you all disparaged Mr. Zhang earlier... In that case, wouldn't all the top players from Bailu Academy become second-rate? Wouldn't that damage the prestige of Bailu Academy?"

These words not only condemn Bailu Academy for breaking its promises, but also for abusing its power.

Everyone's faces immediately turned red with anger, and even some gentlemen who were usually very composed couldn't help but show their anger.

One person stood up angrily and said, "Who disparaged Mr. Zhang?!"

The boy in the melon-shaped hat said leisurely:

"I had a prior agreement with Mr. Zhang: best two out of three. I won two matches, and then Mr. Gongsun would have been willing to offer me some pointers. I have won two consecutive matches, yet you all still try to stop me. Isn't this a disparagement of Mr. Zhang? Isn't it an accusation that Mr. Zhang is untrustworthy?"

He raised his voice slightly, glanced around at the crowd, some met his gaze, while others turned their heads away.

He laughed and said, "In my opinion, the reason why you all are unwilling to let me fight the headmaster is... because you are afraid that some northerner will actually break the headmaster's laurel chess game and thus obtain a promise from the headmaster."

Upon hearing this, the hot-tempered crowd immediately shouted, "You think you can get past the headmaster?" "You're overestimating yourself!" "How can you possibly get past the headmaster by trickery?"

Even those with slightly better tempers were subtly angered: "Why would we be afraid of someone like you, who has surpassed Master Gongsun? We're just worried that some villain will resort to trickery again!"

The crowd's condemnation continued, growing louder and louder, but deep down they also felt a pang of unease. They asked themselves honestly, and it was hard to deny that... this person might have actually been a disciple of Master Gongsun, and thus made a request to become his personal disciple.

What worried everyone was not him personally, but that the person who taught this man to play chess was none other than Nalan Wenzong.