If the former Chu Huaixu was a tall, sturdy green bamboo with sharp edges, then the current Huaiyue is like a beautiful red plum blossom in the cold winter.
This person seems quite different from the one in Chu Minghuan's memory, but deep down he hasn't changed; he's just as arrogant and domineering.
It was Chu Minghuan himself who changed more.
He secretly glanced at the taller and thinner man in front of him, his heart pounding with mixed feelings.
After a while, Huaiyue said softly, "Commander Song has treated me very well."
The young emperor was displeased that Chu Huaixu had said no in front of him, so the latter changed his words. However, the young emperor was still not satisfied and his brows furrowed unconsciously.
"I thought you wouldn't like Minister Song."
Huai Xu paused, his hand holding the chess piece. Chu Minghuan regretted it once again—he didn't know what had possessed him today, but the words he blurted out were increasingly unpleasant to hear.
Knowing full well the unpleasant past this person had with Song Ting, they still used those words to hurt her feelings.
That's so incredibly stupid of you to bring up something you shouldn't say.
If it weren't for saving face, Chu Minghuan would have loved to slap himself.
Moreover… Chu Minghuan thought to himself, this person’s hatred for him might not be less than that for Song Ting. In each other’s hearts, he and Song Ting might be the same, surrounded by mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
Therefore, there wasn't much difference between being by his side and being by Song Ting's side.
He might even be inferior to Song Ting. He claims to be able to protect Huaiyue, but in reality, he himself has to rely on Song Ting.
Thinking of this, Chu Minghuan gave a bitter smile.
"Fine, just pretend I didn't say that. But Huaiyue, if you've been wronged, you can still tell me. Even if it costs me my life, I will stand in front of you."
Chu Minghuan didn't know how to convince Huaiyue to believe him. He almost swore an oath. His face was scrunched up with resentment and grievance, which looked rather funny.
"Your Majesty, it's your turn." Chu Huaixu said nothing, only urging the young emperor to make his move.
This is already a dead end, yet it is fraught with hidden dangers.
"It's been a long time since I've had such a satisfying game. Come to think of it, I haven't felt this indecisive feeling since many years ago when my old friend taught me to play chess."
Since the game was already decided, Chu Minghuan was no longer in a hurry to make a move. His fingertips moved back and forth in the chess basket as he recalled the past.
"My chess skills were taught by that young nobleman... He has always been kind-hearted. Seeing that I always kept to myself and was not sociable, and was often bullied, he gave me a chess manual and taught me to play a few games..."
The teachers at the Imperial Academy also taught chess, but Chu Minghuan was ostracized and didn't have much of a chance to learn anything at school. After receiving the chess manual from Chu Huaixu, he treasured it like a precious gem and read it over and over again.
Since no one played chess with him, he played against himself, and over time, his chess skills became quite proficient.
Later, he found an opportunity to play a few more games with that minor nobleman. He thought he would win, but he lost miserably every time.
And that little nobleman would always laugh at him: "Oh dear, little royal uncle, you lost again!"
After he laughs, give him a snack or a piece of candy.
Later, he became the supreme ruler, and the whole world worshipped him. He could easily find people to play chess with, such as Song Ting and Zhang Bingzhi.
But they all let him win, never actually competing with him, and then insincerely praised him, saying that he was a master of chess.
What's so great about him? He's just a monk who became a monk halfway through his life, so his skills are limited. How great could he be?
Today's game against Chu Huaixu finally brought back that feeling of meeting a worthy opponent.
It felt like going back to many years ago, when this person jokingly called him "Little Imperial Uncle" while earnestly teaching him to play chess.
At that time, Chu Minghuan never imagined that he would one day become the emperor. His world was very small, so small that it only contained his mother and Chu Huaixu.
At that time, he always wanted to beat Chu Huaixu once, to make the other party look at him with new eyes.
The two had very little time together. Chu Minghuan would carefully place each chess piece, but Chu Huaixu would often be impatient and urge him on from the side.
Chu Minghuan had a strong sense of pride, and when he lost, he blamed Chu Huaixu for interfering. The two of them childishly argued with each other.
"I don't know where I got the guts back then, but I actually dared to find him annoying, and sometimes I would even chase after him and hit him. I wasn't even as tall as his waist back then..."
Chu Minghuan's gaze softened unconsciously as he recalled those youthful days. "But I really enjoyed being with him. He was the only person in the entire palace who was kind to me. I'm the one who let him down."
As he finished speaking, the smile on Chu Minghuan's face gradually turned more bitter.
He carefully placed his piece, finally mustering his courage to look up at the person opposite him. Huaiyue also looked up at that moment, and their eyes met. Chu Minghuan smiled, as if he were looking at someone else through him.
It also shows the humiliation that I suffered as a child.
"Over the years, I have often wondered if he regretted saving me, and if he knew what would happen later, would he still have reached out to me?"
"If I had died in that heavy snow, would everything have been different?"
Huaiyue met the young emperor's gaze, her fingers slowly brushing a lock of hair from her side as she lowered her eyes to stare at the chessboard.
After a long pause, he said calmly, "Perhaps he doesn't remember those things."
Chu Minghuan froze.
Huaiyue's words were like a heavy blow to him, shattering his previous efforts to maintain composure, and his eyes instantly turned bloodshot.
"Really...has he forgotten everything?"
Huaiyue didn't answer, which seemed like a tacit agreement. The little emperor's eyes were even redder, and his already slightly sharp jawline was taut, reminding Huaiyue of the snow wolf trapped in the iron cage that winter.
"Your Majesty, you have lost."
A slender finger deftly placed a chess piece. The game was over.
He looked too calm, as if what Chu Minghuan was saying had nothing to do with him, and that he was listening to someone else's story. Whether the people in the story lived or died, whether they felt gratitude or guilt, it was none of his business.
This made Chu Minghuan appear even more pathetic and ridiculous.
It's as if he's the only one who's held a grudge all these years, while for the other party involved, he's just a stray dog that was casually rescued on the street—he was rescued and that was that, not worth taking to heart at all.
This feeling is more unbearable than being resented or brooded by the other party.
Ironically, at this moment he was even a little envious of Song Ting.
Chu Minghuan was speechless for a long time. After a while, he wiped his face, tried hard to suppress his emotions, and forced a weak smile.
"That's a real shame. I thought I was going to win this time."
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