After Xu Lanyin finished reading, she went to the Danshe on the third floor. As she approached the door of the Danshe, she was stopped by two men who looked like guards.
Wang Sanni said, "This is the owner of our teahouse. She is very good at chess."
If it weren't for her good chess skills, the boss wouldn't have let her in.
The guard withdrew his hand, and Xu Lanyin gently opened the door and walked in. She saw Zhou Shu playing chess with Chai Jun, who was also dressed in fine clothes. Ding Xiaoran was playing military chess with a boy of fourteen or fifteen. Qin Ru sat watching, while the shopkeeper Wu and a waiter stood by to serve. There were also two unfamiliar people serving.
The young man was wearing a maroon robe embroidered with floral patterns and a golden crown with eight treasures on his head. He was white and plump, with round features and charming curved smiling eyes. Even though he was concentrating on the chessboard, one could still feel that he was smiling.
Zhou Shu was the first to see Xu Lanyin. He smiled and said, "Miss Xu, come and see Master Liu's new way of playing. If it works, you have to give him a membership card."
Xu Lanyin smiled and knelt down to greet them.
Young Master Liu looked at Xu Lanyin, his clear eyes filled with smiles, and said, "It's this sister who wants a hairpin. I didn't expect her to be so beautiful."
When he smiled, he showed two cute little fangs.
If these words were spoken by any other young man, they would be considered teasing. But when he said it, even Xu Lanyin herself didn't think he was being frivolous. Instead, she thought he was cute and spoke from the heart.
This young man's brain is indeed abnormal, like a child of a few years old.
Xu Lanyin smiled and said, "Mr. Liu, you are too kind."
She walked over to see Young Master Liu and Ding Xiaoran playing military chess with a new twist. This style was more suited to warfare in the cold-weapon era; the small paths on the chessboard had been transformed into mountain paths.
After they finished, Xu Lanyin praised sincerely, "Excellent! These settings are more suitable for battlefield games." He smiled brightly at Master Liu and said, "Master Liu is very talented. This gameplay is more fun than we thought before, and it is more likely to be accepted and liked by people."
Young Master Liu's eyes curved even wider as he smiled. He held out his hand and said, "Sister, can you give me a membership card?" He didn't know what a membership card was or what the benefits were. But he felt that anything he could only get by devising a new way to play had to be good.
His hands were white and slender, with well-proportioned bones.
Xu Lanyin thought to herself, how could such a smart and lovable child be abnormal? What a pity.
She smiled and said, "Oh, Mr. Liu, please wait a moment." She turned around and asked Wang Sanni to go to her room to get a card.
The membership card is made of pine flower paper, which is elegant and has a scent of tea. The ink used to write the three words "Membership Card" is added with a little pearl powder, which gives it a faint glow and is extremely unique and beautiful.
Xu Lanyin held the card in her hands and presented it to him. Young Master Liu stood up and took it with both hands, saying happily, "I like this card, and I like my sister too..."
Chai Jun quickly stopped him and said, "What are you talking about, Xiao Si?"
Young Master Liu pouted and said, "I'm not that stupid. I haven't finished what I was saying. I mean, I also like my sister's teahouse. The decorations are different from other places, and the hats worn by the chess players and waiters are also beautiful. I also like my sister's military chess and Western chess. They are more fun than Go and Chinese chess. As for checkers, they are just so-so."
Everyone laughed at what he said.
Young Master Liu also proposed that he wanted to participate in a competition of three kinds of chess and win the championship in all three kinds of chess.
Xu Lanyin explained the rules of the game and said with a smile, "Young Master Liu can compete with the number one checkers player. If you win, you will be the uncrowned king."
Young Master Liu thought the phrase "uncrowned king" sounded even better than "number one scholar," and he was delighted. He said, "Sister, you're so nice! I'll listen to you. Not only will I be the number one in chess and military chess, but I'll also be the uncrowned king of checkers." He pointed at Ding Xiaoran and the waiter and said, "I like their hats. Sister, give me two more... Oh, buy them. Pay for them."
Xu Lanyin didn't dare agree to this request. In the eyes of nobles, chess students and waiters were lowly professions, so how could he let Mr. Liu, who came from a noble family, wear their hats?
Chai Jun advised again, "Cousin, you are of noble birth and cannot wear their hats."
Young Master Liu pouted and said, "I'm not stupid. I want them to wear it." He pointed to the two servants serving him.
The two men were about thirteen or fourteen years old, fair and thin, and a little feminine. Xu Lanyin thought they might be the legendary eunuchs.
When Master Liu said this, Xu Lanyin smiled and said, "Okay, those two hats are not worth much, I will give two to Master Liu."
At noon, the teahouse kitchen prepared noodles, wontons, steamed eggs, and several kinds of sweet soups, and Xu's Pastry Shop sent many snacks.
Young Master Liu was very happy with the meal and said, "Sister, I like playing chess here, and I also like the food and the furnishings here. Can I live here forever?"
Xu Lanyin didn't know what to say, so she just chuckled a few times, and the others pretended not to hear. Chai Jun changed the subject again, making Master Liu forget what he had said.
After dinner, Master Liu slept on the Luohan bed, Chai Jun and Zhou Shu slept in other flower houses, and Xu Lanyin and others returned to the backyard.
Qin Ru also followed and whispered to her, "I heard from Lord Chai and Lord Zhou that Mr. Liu is an honored person and must be treated well. No mistakes can be made."
Xu Lanyin nodded. She was certain this Young Master Liu was the Fourth Prince, Liu Zhaohou. He was indeed a fool, but a fool of a different kind, the kind that was only one step away from genius.
Xu Lanyin closed her eyes in the room to rest. She had never expected that the Fourth Prince, who only appeared in name but not in person in the book, would appear before her in such a form.
Sometimes it's better to be a fool than a wise man. For example, right now, his brothers were fighting fiercely in the capital, and the losing side would learn a painful lesson. But he was in a teahouse surrounded by flowers, having fun, eating, and sleeping happily, his mind full of thoughts about how to achieve the "double chess champion" and become the uncrowned king.
In the afternoon, Liu Zhaohou and others played chess for another half day.
Xu Lanyin knew better how to talk to such abnormal people. She didn't say much, but she always hit the spot for Liu Zhaohou, making him very happy without making others feel awkward.
Liu Zhaohou expressed more than once, "Sister, I like this teahouse and I like listening to you talk."
Qin Ru's mind was almost entirely on Chai Jun, and he was busy running around diligently.
During the tea break, Xu Lanyin actually heard Qin Ru mention his deceased cousin Chai Qingyan.
Chai Jun said, "I still remember my second aunt. My grandmother and my mother both said that if she hadn't given me the Ruyu Regenerating Skin Cream, I would have become a pockmarked child. Alas, my grandmother and grandfather were also very sad when she got into trouble."
Qin Ru endured it for a moment before suppressing the words "Chai Zhengguan sold his daughter for money" and only said, "If Lord Chai had not decided on that marriage, my aunt would not have been in trouble."
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