Chapter 132 A Terrible Chess Player

His thick, long eyelashes, as thick as raven feathers, trembled slightly. Yin'e had just opened his eyes when he let out a lazy, contented yawn. After a good night's sleep, he felt the sky was bluer, the water clearer, and everything was so beautiful.

Procrastination made Yin'e reluctant to get out of bed immediately after waking up; he wanted to linger a little longer in the comfortable, warm blankets. In the dead of winter, he willingly remained sealed in bed by the covers.

After resting with his eyes closed for a while, Yin'e rolled over and was not surprised to find that the Ninth Prince was sleeping soundly next to him. His delicate features were serene, and his expression was as cute as an angel. His cheeks were flushed slightly from the high temperature of the charcoal brazier burning in the room.

Having rested and recharged, Yin'e's previously drowsy brain began to function again, and he naturally recalled what had happened in the Imperial Study early this morning.

After reviewing the reactions of his older brothers in the study hall that morning, Yin'e clicked his tongue softly, a cryptic smile spreading across his face. He muttered to himself in a barely audible voice, "They really do have distinct personalities."

The reactions of the third, fourth, fifth, seventh, and eighth princes did not surprise Yin'e; they were consistent with their usual behavior. Yin'e shook his head, not thinking about it any further, but simply noting the protectiveness of the fifth and seventh princes and the righteousness of the fourth prince.

If one day the Third Prince were to be friendly and warm towards him and the Ninth Prince, and the Eighth Prince were to open his heart to him and the Ninth Prince, then Yin'e would question his life and wonder if he had encountered a fake Third Prince and Eighth Prince.

Skipping over the behavior of the princes in the Imperial Study, Yin'e immediately remembered that it was Aunt Luyi who escorted him and the Ninth Prince back to the West Third Palace.

At that time, the group had just passed through the dark passageway and entered the West Third Palace. The Ninth Prince was so sleepy that he couldn't even wait to return to the Fifth Palace. He went straight into the Third Palace with Yin'e. After being washed and changed into his nightgown, he was tucked into the quilt. As soon as his head touched the pillow, he fell into a deep sleep.

The reason why Yin'e and the Ninth Prince were able to successfully request leave from the Imperial Study was because the Consort Gui pleaded with Emperor Kangxi on their behalf. It's unclear whether Consort Yi knew about this, or whether the Consort Gui informed Consort Yi beforehand or afterward.

"They should know, right?" Yin'e murmured softly. "If Mother released people in the Third Palace, it's impossible that Consort Yi didn't release them in the Fifth Palace; moreover, Yongshou Palace and Yikun Palace are right next to each other, so it's impossible that they wouldn't notice any movement."

"Know what?" The Ninth Prince, who had just woken up, only heard the first half of the sentence. He lazily yawned and casually replied.

He glanced up at the Ninth Prince and saw that he was indeed awake, his bright phoenix eyes shining as he looked at him with great spirit. Yin'e was silent for a moment before muttering softly, "Nothing."

After a brief pause, Yin'e casually changed the subject: "Ninth Brother, did I wake you up?"

The Ninth Prince shook his head, turned over to lie on his side facing Yin'e: "I'm well asleep now."

No sooner had he finished speaking than the Ninth Prince's phoenix eyes, with their upturned corners, suddenly widened into a piercing stare, and he cried out in a shrill voice as if he had been startled awake: "What time is it now? Aren't we supposed to go to the Imperial Study today?"

Yin'e glanced at the still-sleepy Ninth Prince with amusement, knowing that he had been in a daze all morning and probably didn't remember that they had asked for leave. So he explained and calmed down the frightened Ninth Prince.

After explaining the cause and effect, Yin'e was still mostly curled up in the warm quilt, only slightly propping up his upper body to glance at the Western grandfather clock in the corner of the bedroom: "It's one o'clock in the afternoon, um... it's only just past noon."

After announcing the time, Yin'e chuckled to himself, realizing that he, like the Ninth Prince, was a bit sleepy and had actually given the Ninth Prince the time according to the custom of later generations.

After hearing Yin'e's explanation, the Ninth Prince breathed a long sigh of relief. The fear of oversleeping or even skipping school on school days vanished completely, and his tense body relaxed as if boneless. The comfort of a good night's sleep returned to him.

But soon, the Ninth Prince frowned, his reluctance written all over his face: "Father only gave us the morning off. Are we going to have to rush to the training ground for riding and archery lessons?"

It is now the hour of Wei (1-3 PM). If Yin'e and the Ninth Prince set off now, they can still make it to the afternoon's riding and archery class.

“I don’t want to go.” Yin’e shook his head sharply, his refusal firm and resolute.

He had already climbed into bed and was resting in the warm blankets. Even though Yin'e had just woken up, he had absolutely no interest in getting up to go to any riding and archery lessons. It was the dead of winter, with heavy snow falling and the world covered in ice and snow. Wasn't he worried about the hassle?

Yin'e and the Ninth Prince exchanged a glance, and the two of them, with great tacit understanding, said in unison, "Send someone to ask the outer lord for leave!"

Emperor Kangxi kept a close eye on the morning classes in the Imperial Study, and the inner attendants who spoke in classical Chinese and were very proper were not easy to talk to. However, the outer attendants, who were imperial bodyguards and ministers of the inner guards and were of Manchu noble birth, were easy to bully, especially since Yin'e was backed by the Niohuru clan, making it even easier to control them.

After deciding to take a day off and not go to the drill ground in the afternoon, the Ninth Prince rolled back onto the bed and lay flat, looking just like a salted fish laid out to dry: "Tenth Brother, what should we do?"

Rarely having some free time, even if he had nothing to do and was incredibly bored, the Ninth Prince didn't want to study. Impossible, absolutely impossible, he would never waste his precious holiday on homework.

He also rolled over and lay down like a salted fish, but instead of offering the Ninth Prince any advice on how to relieve his boredom, Yin'e patted his empty stomach and sighed, "Ninth Brother, I'm hungry."

This morning, before breakfast time, he and the Ninth Prince were picked up from the Imperial Study by Green Willow. When they returned to the West Third Palace, they were so sleepy they could barely keep their eyes open, and they fell asleep without eating anything. It would be a miracle if they slept soundly until now and weren't hungry.

"Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle," the Ninth Prince's stomach echoed Yin'e's words, responding even before its master.

Hunger overcame the temptation to stay in bed, and Yin'e lazily stretched and got out of bed, calling out to the palace servants guarding outside to prepare a combined breakfast and lunch for him and the Ninth Prince. Yin'e didn't like having someone keep watch while he slept at night, so the palace servants from the Third Palace only waited in the outer room.

Without changing out of their nightgowns into less private loungewear, Yin'e and the Ninth Prince went out for dinner wearing only mink cloaks.

They moved to the living room, which was separated from the bedroom by only a curtain and a row of screens. Because the charcoal fire was burning well, they could stay warm without having to change into their winter coats.

Climbing onto the soft couch covered with thick leather cushions, Yin'e and the Ninth Prince sat down facing each other on either side of the small mahogany table on the couch. Each of them held a purple copper openwork hand warmer in their hands, and they also had hot water bottles under their feet, making them extremely warm and comfortable.

The Third Prince's residence had a small kitchen, which had been used since the day Yin'e moved in. Because the small kitchen always kept steamed buns and rice warm on the stove, not long after Yin'e and the Ninth Prince sat down, Xiao Linzi and his men brought up a hot and easy-to-digest meal.

Upon seeing Xiao Linzi, Yin E remembered the laboratory matter and casually asked a couple of questions, receiving a fairly satisfactory answer: a spacious room had already been cleared out in the Third Institute, and a long table and several storage cabinets had been placed inside. However, the protective suits and gloves would have to wait a while, as the embroiderers needed time to sew them from scratch.

Nodding in satisfaction, Yin'e planned to take a walk around the laboratory after the meal. If the laboratory layout was unreasonable, or if there were any issues with the placement of the long tables and storage cabinets, he could immediately offer suggestions for improvement.

Anyway, it's just some simple experiments. The most knowledge-intensive thing in the early stages is the extraction of pure alkali. Other things like washing wool, spinning yarn and weaving cloth, and making grease are not technically difficult. So Yin'e doesn't require the laboratory to have running water pipes and a complete sewage system.

The Ninth Prince was not interested in these technical things to begin with, and the constant hunger pangs tormented him, so he only glanced at them before looking away and picked up his chopsticks to eat heartily.

After eating and drinking to their hearts' content, Yin'e went to the laboratory, offered a few suggestions, and returned. Looking at the Ninth Prince sprawled on the soft couch, he smiled and said, "Ninth Brother, are you feeling sleepy?" Although it's easy to feel sleepy after a big meal, they had only just gotten up!

"No," the Ninth Prince replied lazily, his voice trailing off. He remained sprawled out, motionless. "I'm just too lazy to move."

Once on the soft couch, Yin'e sat down opposite the Ninth Prince across a small mahogany table. Looking at the Ninth Prince's slumped, listless state, he thought for a moment and said, "If you're bored, why don't we play chess?"

"Huh?" The Ninth Prince, who was lying there with his mind blank, took a beat to realize what Yin'e had said. He hesitated for a long time, then kicked his little feet, which were curled up under his fur cloak, twice before finally slowly getting up. "Alright, let's play chess then."

Although the Ninth Prince didn't particularly enjoy playing chess, having something to do was better than lying around doing nothing.

He raised his hand and rubbed his face. The Ninth Prince felt that he might be seriously ill: he was not used to being given a day off and not having to work in the Imperial Study. He even felt that his life was empty after the holiday! This should not be, this should not be!

After the chessboard was set up, Yin'e and the Ninth Prince started playing chess casually.

These days, they're not playing Gomoku or Ludo, but the real game of Go.

Emperor Kangxi hoped that his sons would all be like dragons, becoming outstanding talents in all aspects. He had always cultivated his princes in this direction, providing them with a strong teaching force while also setting very strict requirements.

In addition to the Four Books and Five Classics and other classic works by famous authors, the princes also had to learn music, chess, calligraphy, and painting in the Imperial Study. They were not required to be masters, but they were expected to be presentable and have a certain level of appreciation skills.

Yin'e and the Ninth Prince can now play Go. Although they are only beginners and their games are like two noobs pecking at each other, after learning Go, they both abandoned Gomoku and Ludo and embraced the new toy.

Well...that's right. Yin'e and the Ninth Prince only saw Go as a new game and a new toy; they couldn't appreciate its charm.

On the chessboard, the black and white pieces are intertwined and locked in a fierce struggle. At first glance, it seems that there are almost no pieces of the two colors connected together. White pieces are always next to black pieces, and black pieces are always next to white pieces. There is not a single piece of the same color.

This situation arose because Yin'e and the Ninth Prince were truly terrible at chess.

Both of them were beginners who only knew the basic rules. Although they were playing with great enthusiasm, the battle on the chessboard was so terrible that if their teacher, Nai An Da, saw it, he would probably want to gouge out his own eyes and take them back to be remade a hundred times.