Chapter 10 A Draw Xiu Yu lowered her eyelids and said, "It's still the Emperor...
Xiu Yu was still very modest: "Answering the ancestors, although Yu'er has learned horse riding and archery since he was young, he is not very good at it. He only knows the basics."
Xiaozhuang nodded. She glanced at Xuanye and asked Xiuyu, "The emperor said you are good at chess, and even an intermediate or advanced player?"
Xiu Yu smiled sweetly, though a hint of pride shone through her eyes, she continued, "Grandfather, when I didn't know the emperor was the emperor, he gave in once. After I knew the emperor was the emperor, he beat me again. Tell me, am I considered an expert?"
Empress Xiaozhuang was amused by Xiu Yu. She thought to herself: What a clever little girl! But she said: "The emperor's chess moves are very wild. It's amazing that you can deal with him twice."
"Madam," Xuanye replied immediately, "You said your grandson's chess playing style was wild, but this Yu'er's style is even more confusing. When you have time, come and watch your grandson and Yu'er play a game and you'll know."
Empress Xiaozhuang wasn't very good at playing chess, but she was very good at watching chess. When she was young, she often watched Huang Taiji play chess with others, and she had the ability to see people's character and behavior from their chess moves.
Suddenly, Empress Xiaozhuang's interest was piqued. She ordered, "Su Moer, go get the chessboard that Emperor Taizong often used, and make a pot of tea."
"Yes, princess." Su Moer bowed and then entered the warm room.
Xuanye hadn't expected that his casual remark would actually pique the Empress Dowager's interest. He had indeed intended to play another round of hand-to-hand combat with Xiuyu, and personally escort her out of the palace once the gates opened. However, this hand-to-hand combat shouldn't take place in the Cining Palace, but in the Qianqing Palace.
Seeing the hesitation on her grandson's face, Xiaozhuang asked Xiuyu instead of Xuanye, "Yu'er, would you mind playing a game of hand with the emperor in my Cining Palace?"
"How dare Yu'er disobey the Grand Empress Dowager's order?" Xiu Yu's eyes were filled with excitement. Three hundred years later, entertainment life was certainly much less than in her previous life. Playing chess could truly be considered a very interesting activity. Still, she was modest for a moment and said with a smile, "However, if Yu'er's play is not good, please forgive me, Old Ancestor."
Empress Xiaozhuang deliberately put on a stern face and said, "When playing chess with me, there are rules. You must show your true ability, and don't try to play the game of 'I give you what I want'. Whoever wins will get a reward from me, the ancestor!"
Xuanye felt that he had put himself in a difficult position, but since things had already come to this, and Yu'er had already agreed, it would be ungentlemanly for him to continue to hesitate. As he helped the Grand Empress Dowager into the study, he said, "Madam, Yu'er is a young princess after all. If my grandson were to show his true ability and refuse to give in, it would be too much."
Before Empress Xiaozhuang could say anything, Xiu Yu, who was following her, said, "Eh? The ancestors have already told us to show our true abilities. If the Emperor gives in again, wouldn't that be unfilial? Yu'er can't let the Emperor be an unfilial Emperor! Besides, who will win or lose will be decided on the chessboard. The outcome is really uncertain!"
All of Xuanye's concubines acted respectfully, gentle, and virtuous in front of Xiaozhuang, whether they were genuine or feigned. Few dared to reveal their true colors, like Xiu Yu. Xiaozhuang grew fond of this Guoluo princess and took her hand. "Yu'er, what you say is quite reasonable! In my opinion, Xuanye, you may not be able to defeat Yu'er."
Xuanye looked past Xiaozhuang to see Xiuyu's appearance at the moment. She seemed somewhat confident and a little arrogant, with her cherry lips slightly pursed. That look really melted people's hearts.
Xiaozhuang squeezed Xuanye's hand and said, "Pay attention to the emperor's majesty."
Xuanye responded with an "Ah!", but Xiuyu couldn't help laughing.
In this game, Xuanye had the first move, a rare one. Xiaozhuang sat nearby, Su Moer rubbing her shoulders. Chess players are supposed to be completely focused, so from the moment Xuanye and Xiuyu took their seats at either side of the chessboard, they practically forgot they were in the Cining Palace, intently placing their moves.
While watching the increasing number of chess pieces on the chessboard, Xiaozhuang looked at the little expression on Xiu Yu's eyebrows and eyes, and occasionally exchanged glances with Su Moli. It was a silent conversation between them, the master and the servant.
After all, she was old, and playing chess was a strict no-joking affair, so Xiaozhuang would occasionally close her eyes to rest. The first few times Xiuyu noticed, she signaled with her eyes to Xuanye whether to end the game early so that the Empress Dowager could rest.
Unexpectedly, Empress Xiaozhuang, with her eyes closed, seemed to know the silent conversation between the two little guys, and there was a hint of laziness in her words: "Just go ahead, I want to see the end."
Xiu Yu shrugged his shoulders, smiled at Xuanye, and placed the chess piece in his hand on the chessboard.
The sky gradually turned pale, the night was about to end and the day was coming. Xuanye spread his arms, stretched lazily, looked at the chessboard full of chess pieces, and said with a smile: "Yu'er, let's call it a draw!"
Xiu Yu rested her chin on her hand, her eyes still fixed on the chessboard. After a while, she raised her head and said with a smile, "Your Majesty is right. Let's call it a draw!"
"Good!" Empress Xiaozhuang, who had been squinting her eyes, opened them and said, "What a draw! What a harmonious relationship!"
Su Moer, standing beside Xiaozhuang, also smiled. She knew that the Guoluo family's princess had completely captured her princess' heart with this game of chess, especially the last word "harmony", which touched her princess' heart.
Xuanye and Xiuyu both stood up. Xuanye stepped forward to help Xiaozhuang up and said, "Grandfather, Empress Dowager, you really should rest. It's already dawn."
Xiaozhuang covered her mouth with a handkerchief and yawned, "Yes, it's time to rest." She looked up at Xuanye and said, "You don't have to stay with me. We've welcomed her into the palace, so it's time to send her princess out first. Behave properly, and you'll have a long future ahead of you."
"Thank you, Madam Queen." Xuanye was heartfeltly delighted to receive the ancestor's approval. The Guoluo clan consisted almost entirely of military commanders, and it was rare for military commanders to achieve high positions at court. After Xiuyu entered the palace, her mother's family hadn't offered her much support. But while the harem might be peaceful, beneath that tranquility lay a turbulent tide. Now that she had the ancestor's approval, even if her mother's family wasn't strong enough, she had a layer of protection. This was Xuanye's greatest concern.
Xiaozhuang patted Xuanye's hand, nodded gently and then let go, and then let Su Moer help her go back to the warm room to rest.
As night and day turned, Xuanye and Xiu Yu walked out of the Cining Palace one after another.
"Most of them are still asleep at this hour. Let's go back to the Qianqing Palace first. You change your clothes and I will send you out of the palace." As Xuanye said this, he held Xiu Yu's wrist and got into the warm sedan with her.
Xiu Yu was still thinking about the chess game. She had just sat down when she suddenly raised her head and looked at Xuanye, saying, "Your Majesty, you should have won, right?"
"Isn't a draw good?" Since things could be dealt with once, there would be another chance. Since the Imperial Madam had already agreed, Xuanye simply shook Xiu Yu's hand openly: "Didn't you see how happy Madam was when we agreed to a draw?"
Xiu Yu lowered her eyelids and said, "Your Majesty is still the best chess player. Yu'er is convinced."
Xuanye, however, didn't take it seriously. He just looked at Xiuyu and said, "I'll probably have to wait until the fifteenth day of the first lunar month to see you again. The Lantern Festival is also quite nice. It's a pity that I'm afraid I won't be able to leave the palace for the ten days in between."
"Our ancestors said, if you follow the rules, you'll have a long way to go." After staying up all night, Xiu Yu was tired: "Ten days, it's slow, but it's also fast."
"You're a bit heartless!" Xuanye tapped Xiuyu's nose and said, "Just wait and see. If I have time, I'll leave the palace on the fifth day of the lunar year to eat dumplings with you."
"Okay." Xiu Yu said without hesitation: "If the emperor comes, Yu'er will cook for him personally."
Xuanye asked curiously, "Are you also good at cooking?"
Xiu Yu wasn't being modest this time: "When we were outside the Great Wall, my mother taught me! I'm not bragging, but if your imperial chef saw the dishes I cooked, he'd probably want to learn from me."
"Oh?" Xuanye lowered his head and looked at Xiu Yu's smooth and delicate little hands, somewhat unconvinced.
Xiu Yu knew what he was thinking, so she simply placed her hands in front of her eyes and said, "Well, this is because I'm good at taking care of myself. It has little to do with whether I can cook or not."
Xuanye suspected Xiuyu was doing this on purpose, deliberately making him itch, making him worry about this or that. If it weren't for the fact that the imperial mother had trained him to have a strong concentration since childhood, and that he never thought about anything else when doing things, he thought Xiuyu would have seduced him away.
Thinking of this, Xuanye's mind flashed, and he remembered another thing. Unfortunately, there was not enough time at the moment. Otherwise, he really wanted to ask clearly.
In the Cining Palace, Su Moer was cutting Xiaozhuang's hair while saying, "Gege, are you interested in that Yu'er Gege?"
"He's a good child." Xiaozhuang looked sideways at Su Moer and said, "You've been with me for so long, and you don't have any abilities! You can clearly see that he's a good child, and yet you ask me what I think?"
Su Moer smiled and replied: "No matter how capable I am, I was trained by a princess. I also have my moments of weakness."
"Look at the way she plays chess. She's calm and sensible. She's got a lot of ambition and more than just a romantic interest. She should be Xuanye's concubine. What do you think?" Empress Xiaozhuang raised her hand and rubbed her temples. "This New Year's Eve was really tiring."
Su Moer said, "Gege is right! What's rare is that this Yu'er Gege is also very beautiful. I think she is a perfect match for our emperor! It's a pity..."
"Is it a pity her father is only a deputy commander?" Xiaozhuang was well aware that positions in the harem were closely tied to the previous dynasty. Without a powerful maternal family to support her, something was ultimately lacking. After a moment's reflection, Xiaozhuang added, "Actually, it might not be a bad thing. Now that Xuanye has secured his throne, it's helpful to have a few concubines who can balance the power of the previous dynasty. It wouldn't be good if the one he favors had too much ties to the previous dynasty."
"Gege is right." Su Moer helped Empress Xiaozhuang walk to the bedside. "Fortunately, those who entered the palace for the selection didn't have any prominent family backgrounds. Gege Yu is considered to be a decent candidate among them."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
