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

Ning Nan smiled awkwardly: "Just kidding, the two elders are very skilled at chess."

The two old men didn't blame him. His eyes were blank, as if he had been stunned by the game. After a moment, the old man on the left raised an eyebrow at him, somewhat displeased, with an expression that seemed to say something like "speechless" or "you don't know anything." The old man on the right smiled at him instead. The two of them didn't say anything, turned their attention back to the chessboard, and continued to look at it.

Ning Nan took two steps back, sat on a wooden chair nearby, and enjoyed the early summer breeze, no longer watching the chickens pecking at each other.

Inside the pavilion, two old men would occasionally blurt out commands like "Knight move," "Cannon move," and "Pawn move," and after a while, they would slam a wooden chess piece down with a booming voice, shouting, "Checkmate!"

Once the word "General" is shouted, the two old men's voices become incredibly loud and powerful, conveying a sense of impending doom.

Ning Nan has been frightened several times, and now she is holding onto the pavilion railing.

The two old men were dressed in very distinguished manners. The old man on the left had white hair and beard and looked to be in his seventies. He was wearing a white shirt, which was obviously made of silk. It looked soft and comfortable, let alone when worn. He looked like a wealthy man, and was very energetic.

The old man on the right was similar, wearing a black silk robe, the kind that looks expensive at first glance. But this old man looked gentler, and his chess playing was more refined than the one on the left. The one on the left was very prone to taking back moves, scratching his head from time to time and saying, "Take back one move," "Take back another move."

Ning Nan glanced at it twice.

One in black, one in white, two old men.

The old man wasn't very good at chess, but his sportsmanship was impeccable.

I'm here today just to say hello to Dr. Jiang and get to know him formally, since he invited me last time.

However, Doctor Jiang is too busy right now, so there's nothing we can do. If we haven't seen Doctor Jiang by the time it's almost dusk, we'll have to take our leave, since we promised Shangguan Xiuxiu we'd meet at dusk.

Fortunately, Shangchuntang is close to the Qinhuai River, so it shouldn't take too long to walk there.

Leaning against the pavilion, time slowly passed between the two old men as they picked up and placed their pieces.

I don't know when.

Suddenly, a man dressed as a waiter ran over, first bowing respectfully to the old man on the right and calling out a title like "Lord Marquis." Ning Nan raised an eyebrow.

Lord Marquis?

Surname Hou?

After the old man in black nodded, the man anxiously whispered a few words in the old man in white's ear.

The old man stood up, pointed at the chessboard, and said, "This game is a draw. Next time, I won't give way!"

On the chessboard, the white old man's red pieces only have one rook and one horse left to fight, while the black old man has most of his rooks, horses, and cannons, having only lost one cannon and a few pawns.

The old man smiled, straightened his back, nodded, and said it was a draw.

Old Man Bai left satisfied.

Seeing this, Ning Nan smiled and turned his head to stare at the pond. The wind stirred up ripples on the surface of the pond, and a few koi swam around. There was no chess game to watch, and no sound of pieces being placed, so he could only stare blankly at the pond.

"Young man, you just said that Brother Lou and I are terrible chess players, how about we play a game?" At this moment, the old man's voice came over.

Ha, he's quite vengeful.

Ning Nan chuckled awkwardly, intending to refuse, but when he turned his head, he saw that the old man's eyes did not seem mocking or arrogant, but rather a burning curiosity. So he perked up.

"Old man, I don't gamble." He raised an eyebrow.

The old man chuckled: "It's just a friendly game of chess; winning or losing doesn't matter."

Hearing this, and considering the old man's sportsmanship just now, Ning Nan felt that the old man was not the kind of narrow-minded person who would turn hostile after losing. Since that was the case, it wouldn't hurt to play another round.

"Then let's start the next round." He got up and walked to the stone bench where the old man in white had sat before. After sitting down, he looked across at the old man in black and realized that the old man in black had a pale face and sunken cheeks, and probably had some kind of chronic illness.

The old man stroked his beard, a smile appearing on his thin face. He was about to put away the chess pieces and rearrange them when the young man opposite him shook his head.

"Old man, let's continue this round." He picked up the red car. "It's my turn, isn't it?"

The old man was clearly taken aback: "Young man, if you continue playing this game with Brother Lou, you'll lose a lot of initiative."

Ning Nan laughed and said, "In that case, it's not shameful for me to lose."

He moved his red rook across the river, fixed his gaze on the opponent's knight, and a crisp "snap" sounded on the chessboard.

Young people are always impetuous, he was like that when he was young... The old man smiled, picked up a piece, and jumped over a horse.

They fought back and forth for several rounds, during which the old man took the initiative to reveal his name: Ning Changling.

Ning Nan looked slightly taken aback. Ning? He then gave his own name, Ning Nan.

"I never expected to run into someone from the same clan." Ning Changling's smile deepened.

Ning Nan hadn't expected it either; it was quite a coincidence. As he spoke, he put down the red carriage and said, "General."

The old man was taken aback.

After about eight rounds, the opponent's rook had unknowingly checkmated him, and his pieces were constantly being led around by the opponent.

Sergeant, block the red car.

"Draw the horse."

Ningnan pulled away the opponent's horse.

"Well……"

The old man's expression and eyes immediately became serious.

Clap clap clap!

The old man was better at using the horse, while Ningnan was better at using the chariot. After ten rounds, Ningnan's last horse was captured by the opponent, but Ningnan also exchanged one of the opponent's cannons. The two players gradually increased their move speed.

After more than twenty rounds.

Ningnan surrendered his position.

Ning Changling raised his head, his expression quite serious, and said, "Young man, your chess skills are quite impressive."

Ning Nan shook his head, rearranged the pieces, and said with a hint of self-deprecation, "The old man's chess skills are truly remarkable; I was blind to his talent."

I originally thought the other party was just a terrible chess player, but I didn't expect that he had lowered his own level just to match the old man surnamed Lou's skill level.

Otherwise, the elderly man surnamed Lou would probably feel completely uninvolved after playing a game of chess.

Ning Changling also reached out and rearranged the pieces.

Since the passing of Lord Shangguan, he has not encountered a worthy opponent for many years.

Unexpectedly, this young man has stirred up my chess-playing cravings. And he even shares the surname Ning, which is my own family name. This is truly interesting.

I just don't know which Ning it is.

Is he from the capital? Or from Fujian? Judging from his accent, he seems to be from the capital, but I don't think I've ever heard of this boy before. And judging from his clothes, he looks like a country boy. If he were from the capital, he wouldn't be in this state under my protection.

Ning Changling was curious, so while placing a piece, he asked a question like, "Young brother, where are you from?"

Ning Nan nodded and said, "From the area around Hangezhuang."

Ning Changling nodded and didn't ask any further questions. It wasn't Ning from the capital.

Time passed by, the sun gradually set in the west, and the temperature in the air dropped imperceptibly.

Both players were quick-witted and evenly matched, making their moves very fast. In a short period of time, they played about ten games. In the early stages, Ning Nan lost more than he won, but after becoming familiar with the style of the game, he lost less and won more.

He stood up, smiled at the old man who still seemed to want more, and said, "Old man, I'm leaving now." Hmm... I'm going to have some fun at a brothel.

It's already late afternoon, so it seems we won't be able to see Doctor Jiang today.

The old man smiled, stood up, and bowed to his young chess friend, whom he had befriended despite their age difference, to say goodbye.

Ning Nan slung his gray backpack over his shoulder and smiled as he cupped his hands in greeting: "Old man, if you see Doctor Jiang Sixue, please tell her that I will come again around noon tomorrow before I go home."

Ning Changling then realized that this young man wanted to see Si Xue.

Unfortunately, when he came to Shangchuntang to play chess with his doctor brother Lou, he also invited Si Xue to his residence to have his daughter's heart ailment examined.

He said he was going to see a doctor, but actually he hoped that his friend Si Xue could spend more time with his daughter.

Ning Changling sighed deeply.

He lost his son in middle age, but then had a daughter in his old age.

This daughter is God's greatest comfort to him; no matter how much trouble she causes, he can only endure it.

As the sun set, it bathed the pavilion and the entire backyard in a golden hue, and the young man before me had already shouldered his pack.

Ning Nan smiled and waved to the old man, then turned around and walked out of Shangchun Hall along the corridor.

The thin, frail figure gradually disappeared from sight.

Ning Changling put his hands behind his back, looked away, and returned his gaze to the chessboard.

"How strange... After playing chess for a while, I feel much better..." the old man smiled.

At this moment, a servant came to report.

"My lord!"

Ning Changling sighed. "Speak."

"Miss……"

The servant hesitated for a long time, but finally, under the increasingly impatient gaze of the Marquis, he stammered out the truth.

"Miss heard that there's a grand poetry gathering at Yanchun Pavilion tonight, with many talented scholars in attendance, even disciples of the Northern Dynasty's literary master... She, she, she... she managed to sneak in with Doctor Jiang, disguised as a man..."