Zhang Manniang said regretfully, "I don't care about pretty boys anymore, but they can't be too dark. Even my father didn't like those two. He said that if they were both so dark, the children they would give birth to would definitely be darker, and they would be gone even if they fell into a pile of charcoal..."
Xu Lanyin smiled and thought of the black man in her previous life.
Although she hated Zhang Heizi, she had to admit that he had two advantages: one was that he was determined not to be a traitor, and the other was that he particularly doted on his daughter.
After Zhang Manniang went to rest, Xu Lanyin rummaged through the box and found two bolts of satin. She wanted to give Zhao Wucai two sets of spring clothes. She thought the child was growing, so she made the clothes a little larger.
Her craftsmanship was not very good, and she practiced for a long time before she finished cutting the cloth in the second half of the night. She then sewed it after the two siblings left.
On the second and third days, Xu Lanyin took several children and the Zhang siblings to stroll on the street for two days. They went to the department store to buy things, had snacks at shops such as He's Fried Pancakes, and went to Xinyu Tea House to drink tea and play chess.
The Zhang siblings hurried back to tell their family the good news. Early in the morning of the 11th, Ding Gu rented a donkey cart from a car dealership to take them back to Nanping County. The Xu family also gave them a lot of gifts.
After that, in addition to telling stories to the children, Xu Lanyin began to make clothes for Zhao Wu, silently looking forward to his return.
On the evening of February 18th, everyone had finished dinner, but Ding Xiaoran had not returned yet.
The Daming Dynasty stipulated that, except for night markets, teahouses and shops could not close later than 12:00 PM, and restaurants could not close later than 12:00 PM. Every day, Ding Xiaoran would return home before 12:30 PM.
Xu Lanyin asked Ding Gu to drive a mule cart to the teahouse to pick him up.
At the end of the Xu hour, when the children were all asleep, Ding Gu took Ding Xiaoran back home, and Wang Sanni also came with him.
"What's the matter?" Xu Lanyin asked.
Wang Sanni said, "Today I met a strange man named Mr. Liu. He's addicted to playing chess and refused to leave. He also wouldn't let Xiaoran, who was playing with him, leave. He said he wanted to practice chess hard and strive to win the championship in chess, military chess, and checkers on the 16th. Finally, I finally let Xiaoran go, but he still wouldn't leave. He said he wanted to rest in the teahouse and continue playing tomorrow..."
There are actually such fools.
Xu Lanyin said, "You should go find the yamen runners and ask him to leave."
Wang Sanni gave a wry smile and said, "The one who came with Young Master Liu is Young Master Qin from the prefectural government. The other one is Master Chai from the capital. Master Chai was here on the day the teahouse opened..."
Wang Sanni lowered her voice again and said, "They tried to persuade Master Liu for a long time, but he wouldn't listen. There was nothing they could do, so they had no choice but to stay with him in the teahouse. Shopkeeper Wu also stayed there to keep them company. I think Master Liu is most likely the son of some high-ranking official. I saw more than twenty guards staying in the teahouse to protect him, and there were also many yamen runners patrolling the streets outside."
Ding Xiaoran whispered again, "Miss, that Mr. Liu looks good, but he acts and speaks like a child. Something seems amiss." He pointed to his head and added, "But he's really good at chess. I've practiced for so long, and I can't beat him at military chess. I can barely break even at Western chess, and he barely even cares about checkers. Oh, and he said he's come up with a new way to play military chess."
Ding Xiaoran is very good at playing chess and military chess. So far, only Zhou Shu can tie with him in chess, and no one can beat him in military chess.
That weirdo reached this level in just one month, he is truly a genius.
His surname is Liu, and even the grandson of Princess Nanyang couldn't do anything to him. Qin Ru accompanied him throughout the whole process... He must be a royal relative.
The emperor has five sons. The eldest son, Liu Zhaoyin, has lost his left arm. The current crown prince, Liu Zhaoping, and the third son, Liu Zhaoxian, are in a fierce battle for the throne. It is impossible for any of them to come. The fifth son is only ten years old, and the fourth son is a fool...
Could it be that the Young Master Liu who caused such a scene in the teahouse was the Fourth Prince Liu Zhaohou?
The prince wouldn't leave the palace so easily, let alone the capital! Furthermore, how could a fool be so good at chess, even coming up with new tricks? Although Ding Xiaoran said that he acted and spoke differently, he wasn't a fool.
So, that Young Master Liu is most likely one of the Emperor's nephews or great-nephews.
Xu Lanyin said, "Since Young Master Qin can't afford to offend him, let him be. Let's make it clear to Shopkeeper Wu tomorrow morning that we must treat Young Master Liu well. I'll also go to the teahouse tomorrow." She then asked, "Have all the preparations for the competition been completed?"
Wang Sanni said, "It's all ready. As of today, over 200 people have registered to compete, and 80 have passed the chess student assessment and are allowed to participate. Military chess is the most popular, with 46 participants, followed by checkers with 20, and chess with 14, including 15 civil and military officials. Young Master Qin and Young Master Min were also shortlisted, but Young Master Qin withdrew today... Lord Zhou said that Master He and Mr. Li have agreed to be referees... Oh, and Lord Chai and Young Master Liu from the capital have also signed up. Lord Chai signed up for chess, and Young Master Liu has signed up for all three."
Xu Lanyin smiled. With so many people attending, it was truly a grand event. Zhou Shu would serve as the chief referee, something Xu Lanyin had agreed to in person at the teahouse a few days earlier. Besides Qin Hongyu and Min Nan, the two checkers referees, ten chess students would serve as assistant referees. They also invited two Western chess referees and four military chess referees. Of these six referees, three were teachers from the academy, one was Min Can's aide, Mr. He, and two were founders of the academy, all of whom had achieved a juren (juren) or higher status.
The award presenters have also been invited, they are Min Can and Zhou Shu.
Wang Sanni asked again, "Can Mr. Liu participate in the checkers competition?"
Xu Lanyin said, "No, that's the rule. He must participate in the checkers competition, so let the final checkers champion play a friendly game with him."
Let Wang Sanni and Ding Xiaoran go to the outer courtyard to have dinner, and then let Ding Gu send Wang Sanni home.
At the beginning of the next day at 9:00 PM, Xu Lanyin went to the teahouse alone by car.
A few children were about to leave when Xu Lanyin said, "You're still thinking about playing. Do you want to be the top scholar tomorrow?"
When Min Jia heard this, she quickly pulled Xu Lanting to play chess with her. The two older children stopped chasing after him, and Zhao Xingchen calmed down.
When Xu Lanyin arrived at the teahouse, she saw a lot of people. In addition to guests who came just to drink tea and play, there were also some people who were preparing to participate in tomorrow's chess competition, and there were also many young teenagers.
Wang Sanni came forward and whispered, "Young Master Liu and Master Chai are in the alchemy house on the third floor. Young Master Qin, Shopkeeper Wu, and Xiao Ran are with them."
Xu Lanyin nodded, looked around upstairs and downstairs, and looked at the prizes, the contestants' number plates and the judges' badges, as well as the flowers, colorful silks, lanterns, etc. that would decorate the teahouse tomorrow.
Tomorrow's military chess competition will be held in the grass house on the second floor, with the finals held in the second-floor lobby. The chess competition will be held in the flower house on the third floor, with the finals held in the third-floor lobby. The Chinese checkers competition will be held in a separate half of the lobby, with the finals also held there.
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