Chapter 18 A Lifetime of Chess Xiu Yu simply put down the chess piece in his hand...

What a boring book it was. Xuanye felt that he was probably "sick". He had never experienced or seen such a big scene, so how could he lose his composure when facing Guo Luoluo Xiu Yu?

If this were to be known by others, it would truly damage his reputation as emperor. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but look up at Liang Jiugong, who was still seriously setting the rules, with no expression on his face. Only then did Xuanye feel relieved.

Xuanye didn't have time to dwell on these random things. Xiu Yu had already entered the room and bowed, saying, "Guo Luoluo Xiu Yu pays respects to the emperor."

"What Liang Jiugong said is absolutely right. This aqua-red Manchu dress is absolutely perfect for his Princess Yu." Thinking this, Xuanye couldn't help but stand up and walk over to Xiu Yu, personally helping her up. "No need to be so polite."

Xiu Yu raised her head and smiled, "Yu'er, when you come to the emperor's place, you must abide by the emperor's rules. If you don't, even if the emperor doesn't say anything, I'm afraid others won't let Yu'er go."

This was a double entendre. Xuanye knew that Xiu Yu must be a smart person with a clear mind. Thinking of Chu Tiankuo's description of the day when Xiu Yu beat off the group of "robbers", Xuanye guessed that even if she didn't guess 60% or 70% of it, she would still have such a feeling.

But if that incident could be considered a "case," it was exactly the one Xuanye least wanted to judge. If it involved someone he knew, someone he had even slept with, should he judge it or not? So sometimes being a muddleheaded emperor was actually quite good; things weren't so clear-cut, and it saved him so much trouble.

Feeling sorry for Xiu Yu after all, Xuanye became more gentle and asked, "Did everything go well today?" As he asked, he took Xiu Yu's hand and pulled her to sit on the same side of the couch.

Xiu Yu replied, "If Your Majesty has mentioned this, Yu'er should thank Him." She looked into Xuanye's eyes and said sincerely, "If it weren't for your care, I'm afraid it wouldn't have been so smooth."

By then, Liang Jiugong and Xiao Tao had already tactfully retreated. Xuanye was finally able to embrace Xiu Yu openly and said, "Liang Jiugong is a capable man after all. Those old maids and eunuchs can't help but listen to his advice as the chief steward."

It was the first time that Xiu Yu had been hugged by a man other than her father. She showed some shyness on her face. After a moment of awkwardness, Xiu Yu hesitated and said, "You asked Xiao Tao to bring me here. Do you still want to play handjob?"

"Huh?" Xuanye was taken aback by Xiu Yu's question. He then raised his hand and scratched her straight nose, saying, "Is there nothing else we can do besides hand-to-hand?"

Xiu Yu pursed her lips, thinking to herself: "The Emperor has seen countless women, so his flirting skills must have been honed to perfection." But she, Guo Luoluo's Xiu Yu, was no pushover. A sly glint flashed in her eyes, and she simply raised her head, pointed out the window, and deliberately lowered her voice, saying, "Your Majesty, it's broad daylight, and you're not saying this. I'm afraid it's inappropriate..."

"I..." This time it was Xuanye's turn to be at a loss. "That's not what I meant. I..." He hesitated for a moment, then stood up and walked to the Duobao Pavilion, took down the box Liang Jiugong had put back, and walked back to Xiu Yu and sat down. "Shall we talk? Not today. I have something I want to ask you."

"Your Majesty, please speak." When Xiu Yu saw Xuanye take out a telescope from the box, his heart suddenly tightened, and he kept wondering if his vest was going to fall off?

Xuanye naturally noticed the change in Xiuyu's expression. He remained calm and said, "This is a telescope given to me by Nan Huairen. Before this, someone described a telescope with similar functions to me, but I heard it was 'crudely made.'"

"How could it be 'crudely made'?" Xiu Yu understood Xuanye's 'hint'. She also understood that vests couldn't be removed at will, so she said frankly, "The one I gave to Father was a secret I accidentally discovered while playing outside the Great Wall a few years ago. It was made with great care."

Xuanye was quite satisfied with Xiuyu's answer, but he wasn't particularly interested in how Xiuyu had manipulated the situation or discovered it. The emperor's mind was always concerned with a wider range of things. "I heard that Sanguanbao often showed off the treasure he gave his precious daughter to others on the battlefield."

Xiu Yu snorted with a smile and said, "You don't know, my father complained that the one I gave him a while ago was too big and inconvenient to use. I really had no choice, so I made him another one overnight before entering the customs, and he was quite satisfied."

Xuanye asked, "If you have the ability, you can probably take it apart. I want to see how magical this thing is."

"How could it be so magical!" Xiu Yu took the telescope in her hand and said, "It's finely crafted and indeed small. If you want to take it apart, you need tools." She raised her head and looked at Xuanye, saying, "Your Majesty, we agreed in advance that if we take it apart and it breaks..."

"Of course I won't blame you." Xuanye raised his hand and gently tapped Xiuyu's forehead: "From now on, you can do whatever you want with the things I give you, and you can dismantle them however you want. What belongs to me is yours."

"Yu'er doesn't dare." Xiu Yu lowered her head slightly, spread her hands again, and placed the telescope in front of Xuanye: "Then this tool..."

"Liang Jiugong!" Xuanye called out loudly.

Liang Jiugong immediately walked into the warm room and said, "Master, please give your orders."

Xuanye said, "Go to the Palace of Heavenly Purity and bring me my tool box."

Liang Jiugong bowed and said yes, then almost ran to the Palace of Heavenly Purity.

Xiu Yu was still playing with the telescope, her head lowered slightly, her long eyelashes fluttering. In Xuanye's eyes, it was a beautiful painting. But as Xiu Yu had said, it was broad daylight now, and no matter how tempted he was, he had to control himself and maintain his dignity as an emperor.

Xiu Yu knew Xuanye was still staring at her. Her cheeks flushed slightly, and she simply raised her head and said, "Your Majesty, Liang Jiugong is not that quick with his back and forth. If you don't want to play hand-to-hand today, how about we try something else?"

"Change the way you play?" Xuanye was puzzled. "How do you want to change it?"

This time, Xiu Yu took Xuan Ye's wrist and walked into the study. The chessboard was still on the table. She invited Xuan Ye to sit down beside her, opened a box of chess pieces, and said, "Let's play Gomoku. It's not only easy to learn, but also quick to finish. Once Liang Jiugong brings the tools, we can finish it anytime. What do you think, Your Majesty?"

"Okay." Xuanye likes new things, and now that this new thing was proposed by Xiu Yu, he likes it even more.

Xiu Yu opened the chess box beside her, revealing the white piece. She lowered her eyelids, hesitated for a moment, and then handed the white piece to Xuanye, saying, "Today, we're not following the rules. Yu'er is probably still a guest. Your Majesty, please give Yu'er a break."

Xuanye laughed out loud. If he liked the well-behaved and reasonable Xiuyu, he loved this Xiuyu who was occasionally a little spoiled and mischievous today even more. "Let it go! Princess Yu rarely asks, so how can I refuse?" Xuanye said as he handed over the chess box filled with black pieces.

Xiu Yu was a good teacher, teaching Xuan Ye with meticulous care and dedication. The two of them sat practically head to head, and Xuan Ye's breath of Xiu Yu's fresh, gentle scent sent him reeling several times. Fortunately, he was a clever man, and the rules of Gomoku were surprisingly simple. Even in the first game, the black and white pieces filled the entire board.

Xiu Yu rubbed the black piece in his hand, looked at the situation on the chessboard, and frowned, saying: "Your Majesty, I am a little regretful."

"What are you regretting?" Xuanye said with a smile, "You regret teaching me the secret. Now you don't know how to win."

"Yeah." Xiu Yu simply put the chess piece in his hand back into the chess box and spread his hands and said, "It's a draw, right?"

"It's a draw!" Xuanye put the chess piece back, stood up, walked over to Xiuyu, pulled her up, and held her in his arms. "If I were playing chess with someone else, I would definitely be the king on this chessboard. But when playing with you, I like the word 'draw'. Even if we play draw for the rest of our lives, I would be happy with it."

Xiu Yu heard the sound of trotting outside the warm room and knew that Liang Jiugong had retrieved the tools. She took a few quick steps and "escaped" from Xuanye's arms, not daring to look at him. She simply said, "Your Majesty, shall we dismantle this telescope?"

Xuanye knew Xiuyu was often thin-skinned, so he didn't mind her. There was still plenty of time to go. "The delicate work should be done in the study." As he said this, he took the toolbox from Liang Jiugong and dismissed him.

Outside the warm room, Xiao Tao was basking in the winter sun. Seeing Liang Jiugong panting and sitting down beside him, he couldn't help but teasing, "Eunuch Liang has been disliked by the emperor again and kicked out?"

Liang Jiugong rolled his eyes at Xiao Tao and said, "Just like you're serving in there, the two of us are equally matched!"

"Having good eyesight and not being a light bulb is the basic quality of a servant." Xiao Tao leaned back to let more sunlight shine on her. It felt so good.

But then Liang Jiugong asked, "What is a light bulb?"

Xiao Tao raised his eyebrows and replied, "You refuse to do what the master wants you to do. You can't guess what the master is thinking at all. You are such an idiot!"

"Then neither of us is." Liang Jiugong imitated Xiao Tao basking in the sun: "Honestly, your master and my master are a perfect match!"

"That's not true!" Xiao Tao was a fangirl of her master, a love that had lasted for over three hundred years. She naturally felt that a pig-like figure like the Emperor was no match for her beautiful and intelligent Master! But one had to bow their heads under the eaves, and in this palace, the Emperor was undoubtedly the most suitable man for her Master.

In the study, Xiu Yu had already opened the tool box and said with a smile, "Your Majesty, do you really want to master this? This set of tools is more complete than the one I have outside the Great Wall."

Xuanye laughed and said, "How can I be the emperor otherwise? As an emperor, I should keep all the affairs of the world in my mind. Since I have all the tools, then..."

"Wait a moment." Xiu Yu extended a finger mysteriously, leaned slightly towards Xuanye, raised her eyebrows, and said, "There is one more thing we need to do in advance."