sjar Chapter 98: Another Breakthrough
Chapter 98: Another Breakthrough
Standing before the chess pieces, Li Shan hesitated, holding a piece in his hand, and a look of panic gradually appeared on his face.
Due to nervousness, beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.
The people in the hall were talking amongst themselves, whispering among themselves.
"It seems like you're not up to the task."
The emperor said in a deep voice, "Change the person."
As soon as he finished speaking, none of the other young masters from prominent families at the Imperial Academy were able to solve the chess puzzle.
The emperor's gaze swept over everyone in the hall, and he said with a deep look, "I wonder, among those present, is there anyone who knows how to play Go?"
Upon hearing this, Qiao Lixue, who was sitting behind Jiang Zhi, quietly stared at Jiang Zhi's back.
Her gaze darkened, and she suddenly noticed something.
She stood up and bowed.
"Greetings, Empress Dowager, Your Majesty. I do have someone I can recommend."
The emperor looked her up and down.
"Miss Qiao, tell me, who are you referring to?"
Qiao Lixue respectfully replied, "Your Majesty, it is indeed the Princess Consort of Liang."
"I have heard that the Princess of Liang loves chess so much that there is always a chessboard in front of the window in her room. She must be very skilled at chess."
Jiang Zhi sneered.
She's staying in her room? I know there's a chessboard in front of her window.
She just didn't expect that Qiao Lixue was planning to embarrass her.
Since none of the chess players at the Imperial Academy could solve it, Qiao Lixue was naturally certain that she couldn't either.
Jiang Zhi looked up.
"Your Majesty, I am not skilled in chess and am no match for Emperor Wei."
"Playing chess with Emperor Wei would be a waste of time."
She added, "However, Yanjing is full of talented people, and those who are good at chess are not necessarily only from the Imperial Academy."
"Oh?" The emperor narrowed his eyes slightly. "Then, in your opinion?"
Jiang Zhi said, "When I accompanied Your Highness to the palace last time, we happened to meet a young servant in the Imperial Garden. He was about twelve or thirteen years old and was good at chess."
"The chess game played by this young servant is complex."
She turned her head and glanced at Wei Zhuo's chessboard.
"A game of chess that is no less impressive than Emperor Wei's."
"Princess Consort Liang," Consort Duan sneered from the side, "what arrogance! How can a mere servant compare to Emperor Wei?"
Jiang Zhi smiled and said, "Your Highness Consort Duan, isn't it said that we have a wealth of talented people?"
"The game of Go is all about 'liberties'."
"How can you be so sure that Emperor Wei's chess skills are unmatched?"
"And are you so sure that a servant can't defeat Emperor Wei?"
The Imperial Noble Consort snorted coldly.
"I think it's just Princess Liang being deliberately mysterious. If she were really as powerful as you say, why did it take you so long to realize it?"
Jiang Zhi smiled and looked at Wei Zhuo.
Wei Zhuo, standing before the chessboard, had a calm expression.
He reached out and picked up a chess piece, saying with a slight chuckle, "Just now, what Princess Liang said was correct."
"One cannot claim to be the best at chess without doing so."
"However, I have never met an opponent in all these years."
"So what if you're a servant? What does it matter if you're of high or low status? Why not give it a try?"
The emperor looked at Eunuch Zhang beside him and asked, "Is there any servant in the harem who knows Go, as the Princess Consort of Liang mentioned?"
Eunuch Zhang lowered his head and thought for a moment.
"Your Majesty, there is such a person. Recently, it has been said in the palace that there is a servant in the inner palace who is very fond of playing chess."
"However, this person is strange and has offended Consort Duan. He is currently sweeping the Yun Shen Courtyard, and we do not know whether he is dead or alive."
"Whether dead or alive, bring them into the palace first," the emperor said.
"Yes, Your Majesty." Eunuch Zhang immediately ordered the young eunuch to go to the inner palace.
The room was filled with the sound of hushed whispers.
The emperor looked at Jiang Zhi and said, "Get up first."
Jiang Zhi then got up and sat down, unaware of Qiao Lixue's expression.
From his seat, Gu Liang looked at her, a playful smile playing on his lips.
Before long, the eunuch brought in a boy of eleven or twelve years old.
Although the boy had a handsome face, his thin body trembled slightly under his tattered clothes, and fear flickered in his eyes.
The moment he entered, he stood out from the others in the hall.
He glanced at Jiang Zhi subconsciously, then quickly looked away.
Consort Duan scoffed coldly, "Him?"
Min tried to suppress his emotions, so he walked to the center of the hall, looked up at the emperor and empress dowager on the high throne, and immediately knelt down.
"Your humble servant, A-Cai, pays his respects to the Empress Dowager and Your Majesty."
The emperor lowered his eyes and looked at Min, who was kneeling on the ground, and wondered, "You are Ah Cai?"
"Your Majesty, it is indeed your servant," Min replied.
The emperor frowned slightly, took a deep breath, and realized that the servant was indeed as ordinary as could be.
"I heard from Princess Liang that you are good at Go, is that true?"
Min looked up again and said, “Your Majesty, I have loved Go since I was a child and know a little about it.”
“Come on,” Wei Zhuo said. “Whether it works or not, we’ll find out by trying.”
The emperor glanced at Min Youxiang and said slowly, "A-Cai, since you say you know Go, let's see if you can beat Brother Wei in this game."
"If you win, your crime will be forgiven."
"Thank you, Your Majesty," Min said gratefully.
Min, under the guidance of others, slowly moved towards the chessboard.
Across from him, Wei Zhuo held a black piece, his gaze fixed on Min Youxiang.
Min Youxiang was only a twelve-year-old boy, yet he showed no surprise whatsoever when faced with this game of chess.
At this moment, everyone in the hall was eagerly awaiting the outcome of this game of chess.
This game of chess concerns Princess Zhaoyang's lifelong happiness, and naturally, it has attracted widespread attention.
Min Youxiang remained calm, holding a white piece in his hand, scanning the chessboard with a furrowed brow.
The three diagrams Jiang Zhi gave him corresponded to the weaknesses in Wei Zhuo's game of chess.
The most obvious mistake is the two curves in the corner of the board. If this move is wrong, the white pieces will be captured by the black pieces.
Only by placing a piece in the least conspicuous corner of the board, blocking the last breath of the black pieces, can the game continue.
As the white piece fell, Wei Zhuo frowned slightly.
The corners of the board are at the edges of the board.
He then thought that if the black pieces blocked the way where Min wanted to place the white pieces, it would be a dead end.
He hesitated, knowing that the white pieces around him would never be captured by the black pieces.
“The easiest thing to overlook is often the fatal blow,” Min thought again.
This sentence broke through Wei Zhuo's psychological defenses.
Time passes slowly.
Meanwhile, Min's desire to devour Wei Zhuo's haters is growing stronger.
Wei Zhuo's hand holding the black piece trembled slightly, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.
He was actually nervous. If he lost to an insignificant kid, he would most likely be laughed at by the Northern Di people.
He became emperor so soon after taking office, and he already became such a laughing stock.
His game of chess, though seemingly perfect, has three flaws.
The two corners of the board were bends, and Min, thinking ahead, made the first move with the white pieces. The white pieces left a breath, but they were close to the edge of the board, and the black pieces couldn't gamble on that breath.
Therefore, there was simply no way to capture the surrounded white stones.
These other two vulnerabilities were also exploited by Min during the trading session.
Qiao Lixue looked at the scene before her, and unease welled up in her heart.
Wei Zhuo must have come today with absolute confidence.
How could they lose to a servant from the inner palace?
Is Jiang Zhi about to win against me again?