Chapter 139: The Chess Game, the Woman in Golden Armor.
No one can prevail. The final result will be a scene of utter devastation and ruin.
Yue Yining noticed that the emperor placed his fingers on the edge of the sandalwood chessboard and unconsciously stroked it.
He looked at the stalemate in front of him and said in a low voice, "This is a stalemate. Black and White, on the surface, each has their own territory and are aggressive, but in reality, they are mired in a quagmire and lack the strength to continue."
"Both sides are facing a situation where one wrong step could lead to utter ruin. Forcing a stalemate would only result in a stalemate."
He slowly raised his eyes, his deep gaze sweeping over Yue Yining. "Judging from this situation, is there any other way out, Yue Dushi?"
Yue Yining lowered her eyes.
Wei Tianxuan wasn't asking her how to solve the game, but rather using the game as a pretext to pose a question to her.
Just as Wei Yihua knew that the emperor summoned her to inquire about state affairs to test her, the emperor also knew that Wei Yihua must have grasped his deeper meaning. Even though Yue Yining had been extremely cautious, he could tell that she had come prepared when he summoned her today.
In less than the time it takes for half an incense stick to burn, the two only exchanged a glance, but the emperor had already confirmed his suspicions.
He knew that Wei Yihua had already spoken with her. Yue Yining was indeed Wei Yihua's most capable strategist and his confidante.
Upon closer examination of the game, the emperor's intention becomes clear. In the game, the black pieces are divided into two forces, locked in a fierce battle with the white pieces. The three groups of pieces are fighting and biting each other in the heart of the board, but they are stuck in a stalemate, with no one able to make a decisive move.
Just like the struggle for succession in the imperial court.
The three-way struggle, though seemingly intense, actually lacks the ability and strategic vision to deliver a decisive blow; a prolonged stalemate would only deplete the nation's resources.
Yue Yining did not answer immediately, but her gaze fell on the seemingly tranquil and uniquely structured group of white stones in the southeast corner of the chessboard. That group of white stones was far from the main battlefield, appearing isolated and helpless, almost useless.
She gestured to the emperor: "Your Majesty, look, the breakthrough is right here."
Wei Tianxuan stared at the group of white pieces on the chessboard, then raised his eyes again: "Why does Yue Du think this is the breakthrough point?"
“Your Majesty, this piece of white stone is located precisely in the corner, making it one of the ‘eyes’ of this group of white stones, and also the foundation for its outward expansion.” Yue Yining’s voice was calm and clear as he dissected the game like peeling back layers. “This piece of white stone appears to be in a corner, far from the heart of the territory. At first glance, its shape seems loose, but upon closer inspection, it resembles a variation of the ‘Golden Well Corner.’ Its external influence is restrained, its energy channels are wide, and its position is solid and unbreakable. It is not a defensive posture, but rather a posture of accumulating power and waiting to be unleashed.”
Wei Tianxuan looked at each of the places she pointed to and nodded slightly. "That's right, it's true. This is something I hadn't noticed before."
"However, even if the White pieces' path is not exhausted and they occupy an excellent position on the edge, how can Yue Du make a move to allow the White pieces, who are far from the heart of the territory, to turn the tide and seize victory?"
Yue Yining extended her slender white fingers, met the emperor's surprised gaze, moved only a few chess pieces, and then withdrew her hand, her voice gentle, "Your Majesty, this is how I will play."
It was just a few pieces and a few moves, but the entire game's situation was reversed in an instant!
Far from the heart of the board, the white pieces have formed a continuous line from the outermost edge, resembling a vast army, like a thick, massive cloud, subtly pressing down on the entire board. At this point, the white pieces only need to capture some more black pieces to play on the outer and inner circles and completely encircle the black pieces.
Wei Tianxuan slowed his movements as he fiddled with the red coral beads. He stared at the chessboard, remaining silent for several breaths, before finally nodding very slowly.
"Not bad, not bad," Wei Tianxuan said slowly. "These moves were brilliant."
"only."
The emperor's cloudy eyes turned to the corner of the white stones, and his finger pointed to a few key black stones on the board that guarded the path that the white stones had to take to expand outward. Although there were few of them, they were all in the "suppressing" or "pressing" positions outside the star point.
He said, "If Yue Dushi makes this move successfully, White's position will be very good. But these moves are still too long. If the move is interrupted during the process, all our efforts will be in vain."
Yue Yining watched calmly as he restored the chessboard, mimicking her moves and making his first move. Then the Emperor moved the black pieces, making his first move.
With just a slight movement, the black stone, which occupies the basic star position, can cut off the white stone's supply lines and render it powerless to continue its attack.
Wei Tianxuan looked at her and said slowly, "Black has left several moves here, forming an iron wall of stars. If White tries to move, it will be intercepted. If I had realized White's intention in the second move and cut off White's path, this piece of White would have been trapped in the southeast and become a useless piece."
"As Yue Dushi sees it, this game of chess is ingenious, but it takes a dangerous path."
Outside the window, the snow fell softly, while inside the hall, smoke rose from the warm stove. Wei Tianxuan withdrew his hand from the chessboard. A servant, observing his expression, bowed and brought over a pot of fresh tea, filling Wei Tianxuan's teacup, as steam rose.
Wei Tianxuan took a sip of tea, the white mist blurring Yue Yining's face and expression.
After drinking the tea, the red coral bead in his palm began to spin between his fingers again. Wei Tianxuan looked at Yue Yining, who was silent with her eyes lowered, with a calm expression, and said in a deep voice, "Minister Yue, is there any other way to resolve this situation?"
Yue Yining naturally understood Wei Tianxuan's meaning.
In this game of chess, the black pieces represent aristocratic families, and the white pieces represent commoners. The three intertwined positions in the center of the board correspond to the three princes currently embroiled in the struggle for the throne: the fourth and seventh princes, supported by aristocratic families, and the third prince, supported by commoners.
On the surface, the key to victory or defeat in this game lies with the three princes, the three sides whose battles are most intense.
Looking at the bigger picture, this is essentially a power struggle between aristocratic families and commoners. When the princes finally ascend the throne, they will face the entire court situation and rely on this group of pawns.
Wei Tianxuan was telling her that although the eldest princess was talented and capable, she was far from the core of the struggle for the throne, and as a woman, she faced huge obstacles in succeeding to the throne.
Most of the veteran officials deeply rooted in the court came from aristocratic families. Although they had no vested interests among themselves and did not support any particular prince, they were like scattered black pieces far outside the heart of the chessboard, yet they occupied crucial positions, easy to defend and difficult to attack, and hard to shake. They only needed to use the pretext of etiquette and ancestral rules to strike at the eldest princess who was involved in the struggle for the throne, because she was a woman, and therefore her claim was illegitimate and unjust.
He asked her if there were any other ways to break through the current situation, and if she could come up with words that were different from the norm and could move him. This was the opportunity he was giving her, and she had to show him where the hope of the princess's victory lay.
Yue Yining had a keen understanding of things.
Actually, she was surprised. In just a few rounds of probing and exchanging glances, she was already able to discern the deeper meaning behind Wei Tianxuan's actions.
Surprisingly, he did not object to making the eldest princess the candidate for the crown prince.
Indeed, breaking precedent was, in Yue Yining's eyes, the most difficult step on the path to the eldest princess's succession, because the steepest cliff in the world is always the human heart. The human heart is unpredictable, and prejudice is as high as a mountain, which cannot be reversed by human power.
Yue Yining has always believed that the most difficult hurdle to overcome in the traditional context was Wei Tianxuan's attitude.
She didn't care how the court officials and grand secretaries spoke out, how they criticized and scolded her, because they were ultimately "subjects," while the princess was the "ruler."
Her only worry was that even the emperor harbored unshakable prejudices.
If Wei Tianxuan insists that tradition cannot be broken, the chances of the Eldest Princess succeeding to the throne without bloodshed will be greatly reduced. Unless absolutely necessary, neither Yue Yining nor Wei Yihua wants to take the step of seizing power by force.
But looking back now, the most difficult hurdle of breaking with tradition has actually been overcome.
But why?
Yue Yining had no time to think further. What lay before her was a stalemate where one of her lifelines had just been cut off. This was perhaps the most difficult and crucial game she had ever faced in her life.
In her mind, the complex chessboard transformed into a sky full of stars, each one shining with a brilliance that allowed no misidentification. The pale blue mountains were her chessboard, and the interconnected rays of light among the stars were her energy pathways. Countless pieces exchanged, shifted, arranged, and connected in mid-air. The brilliant, solid light of the stars flickered frequently in the night, casting afterimages and long, indistinct lines. In an instant, the sky was filled with shooting stars, and the light of the heavens surged among the mountains.
Finally, Yue Yining lifted her eyes after clearing the fog. She continued to play, using a few seemingly inconspicuous pieces scattered on the sidelines and near the star points in the white group to draw a subtle line pointing to a main road in the center of the board, slightly to the east.
“Trying to connect the white pieces in front of the black pieces is indeed a dangerous path,” Yue Yining’s voice was clear and firm. “But there is more than one path. If the white pieces move eastward, they can also directly reach the heart of the territory, and it only takes one move.”
The emperor's gaze suddenly sharpened. As if sensing something, his fingers, which were twirling the beads, slowed down, and his eyes were fixed on the white piece.
Yue Yining decisively picked up a white piece with her fingers and, without the slightest hesitation, placed it on a crucial spot.
With this move, the white stones in the southeast instantly connect with the "Golden Well Corner" base in the corner, the scattered stones on the side road, and the main road in the center-east!
Even the most composed emperor couldn't help but show surprise.
Yue Yining cleverly utilized the characteristics of the chessboard's edge lines to connect the main white stones, which were accumulating power in the corner, with the scattered stones on the side lines and the main road pointing towards the center eastward, forming a prototype of a "large dragon" that runs through the edge, corner, and center.
This move avoids directly attacking Black's strong defenses. Taking advantage of Black's preoccupation in the center, it builds up a huge momentum on the sidelines and in the eastern area, aiming its attack directly at the relatively weak flank of Black's central group!
Moreover, with the white dragon already formed, if black wants to immediately intercept and kill it, it needs to invest far more strength than it has here, and will get caught up in complicated calculations of killing, which is extremely risky.
The central battle is in full swing, and Black's main force is deeply entangled in it, unable to spare enough strength to deal with the sudden threat on the flank. White seizes the window of opportunity when Black's main force is tied down.
This move completely revitalized the seemingly abandoned white group in the southeast corner, turning danger into safety and creating a path that relied on its own solid foundation and exploited the opponent's weaknesses.
With just one move, the game is completely reversed!
The hall was silent except for the faint scent of ambergris.
Wei Tianxuan's figure seemed frozen in place, not moving an inch.
His fingers, holding the beaded string, hovered in mid-air. His cloudy eyes were fixed on the white piece that Yue Yining had just placed, as if trying to see through the chessboard.
The white piece Yue Yining placed was like a star thrown into the dark night, instantly illuminating the southeast half of the board. The white dragon suddenly took shape, its momentum was powerful, pointing straight to the center, and after a few more moves it could merge with the white pieces that were deep in the heart of the board.
The outcome of this game is already decided; no matter what moves Black makes, there's no way to turn the tide.
Yue Yining said calmly, “Your Majesty previously thought that Bai Zi was taking a dangerous path, but if you attack from a different angle, Bai Zi will be on a smooth road.”
"Black cannot replicate the path that White has taken. Firstly, Black's influence is in the core, unlike White's large, well-established clusters that are far from the heartland. Secondly, Black has no long-term accumulation of power and no precise decision-making based on the opportune moment."
As Yue Yining spoke, her words carried a faint certainty, "The central dragons are mired in a quagmire, their offense and defense are in disarray, and their fates are intertwined. They seem to have penetrated deep into the heartland and seized the central position, but their strength is exhausted, their momentum is waning, and their hearts are in turmoil."
"The way out of this game is not to defend, but to change."
"Whether it's a dead end or a way out, you'll only know once you've taken the first step. The obstacles and hesitations that stand in your way are sometimes just ever-changing clouds, rather than solid high walls."
"But I believe that the skill of the player is the key to the outcome of the game. To be frank, Your Majesty, if I were to play this game, I could offer a third way to connect the white pieces. If the player is the most capable, even in a desperate situation, there is still a glimmer of hope to turn the tide and achieve victory." Yue Yining looked at the Emperor. "What Your Majesty desires is victory in this game, nothing else, is that right?"
As soon as he finished speaking, an even deeper silence fell over the bedchamber.
Only in the lion-shaped incense burner, a single speck of incense ash silently broke.
The emperor's gaze remained fixed on the chessboard for a long time. He stared at the white pieces in the southeast corner, which were poised to advance with overwhelming force, and then slowly moved towards the chaotic, decaying, and desperately fighting black and white pieces in the center.
His face remained expressionless, but the hand holding the red coral bead resting on the edge of the chessboard twitched slightly, his knuckles turning bluish-white.
Wei Tianxuan finally closed his eyes slowly, concealing the phantom image of the chessboard in his vision.
The weight of the chessboard, like the fate of the nation, pressed down on his aging eyelids.
Between his fingers, crimson ink dug into his palm, as if dripping blood.
He said three words in a row, emphasizing each one: "Good, good, good."
He didn't ask any more questions, he just remained silent.
After a long while, Wei Tianxuan loosened his grip on the beaded string. The movement was so small that it was almost imperceptible, yet it carried a sense of weariness as if the dust had finally settled.
He spoke in a deep voice, but the person he called was not her: "Luo Hong."
Having remained inside the hall like a shadow, Luo Hong, who seemed to have no presence at all, immediately responded and quickly approached the emperor.
"I am tired," Wei Tianxuan said. "You may escort Yue Dushi out of the palace."
Luo Hong: "Yes, sir."
Yue Yining understood immediately. She stood up, bowed deeply to the emperor who was lost in endless thoughts, and said respectfully, "This humble subject takes his leave."
The palace stood imposingly, its solemn light swirling around it. A flurry of white snow, carried by the cold wind, drifted down, scattering delicate, jade-like petals.
Luo Hong escorted Yue Yining out of the palace gate, then turned back along the road. When he arrived at the gate of the Imperial Study, he saw Wei Tianxuan standing under the corridor in a single robe. He was dressed in bright yellow with a touch of vermilion on his wrist. Standing in the boundless snow, he was strikingly bright, yet also looked gloomy.
Luo Hong immediately stepped forward and ordered a young eunuch to fetch a fur coat from inside the house. He then lowered his head and came up behind Wei Tianxuan: "Your Majesty, it's freezing cold. You should take good care of yourself."
The emperor did not respond to him.
"Luo Hong".
Luo Hong neither looked up nor answered. This old eunuch was perhaps the person still alive in the world who understood this aging emperor best. He knew that Wei Tianxuan did not need his response; this call was just the beginning, and the emperor still had things to say.
"You heard everything just now, didn't you?" Wei Tianxuan's voice was old, as if he were talking to himself, "...Tell me, doesn't Hua'er look a lot like the Empress?"
Luo Hong paused for a moment, then replied, "Your Majesty, the Princess is the daughter of the Empress. It is only natural that a daughter resembles her mother."
With his back to him, Wei Tianxuan's voice was as distant as snow falling from the sky: "You know perfectly well that this is not what I meant."
Luo Hong didn't speak again, but simply lowered his head even further. The master and servant stood there under the eaves, listening to the falling snow for half a day.
He knew, of course, that the emperor wasn't asking about their appearances, because anyone with eyes could see that the grown-up Wei Yihua looked exactly like the young empress. Luo Hong also knew that this was why the emperor sometimes wanted to see Wei Yihua but deliberately avoided summoning her.
With the deceased gone, the emperor longs for the empress. Seeing objects to remind him of her is nothing short of a desperate act of self-destruction.
Luo Hong still remembers that yesterday, Wei Yihua was also sitting in the same seat as Yue Yining. Faced with Wei Tianxuan's repeated questions, she answered without hesitation, her words resolute, firm, clear, and powerful.
Luo Hong stood in the hall, unable to look directly at the emperor's face, but he could almost hear her obvious ambition in the clear voice that echoed in the hall.
It is only natural for an emperor to be suspicious of an ambitious heir. However, because Wei Yihua carries the shadow of a deceased person, even his offenses against the emperor are seen as a form of comfort.
The ancestral law dictates that women cannot become emperors. However, in Luo Hong's eyes, Wei Yihua's female identity is her golden armor, making her invincible and unmatched.
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Author's Note: The Empress is a remarkable woman, but we'll have to wait until much later to talk about her (why are all the important plot points scheduled so late, ughhhh!).
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