"Hmm, they haven't decided a winner yet?" Lanqin asked. Actually, a significant reason Lanqin hadn't wanted to watch the game with the Fourth Prince was that she didn't know how to play Go at all. In this ancient society where ladies of noble families were expected to be proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, it would cause trouble if people discovered she couldn't play Go, especially in front of Nianxue. Perhaps the former Niohuru Lanqin could play Go; if Nianxue discovered she couldn't, that would be a real problem.
"This servant thinks the master is about to win. Princess, let's go down and take a look!" Nianxue grew up with Lanqin. Although she was just a maid, she used to serve Lanqin and learn chess together.
"Well, I'm still a little sleepy, I'll go back to sleep for a while. Wait until they're done before you wake me up." Lanqin pretended to yawn, then immediately turned and went into the inner room.
Seeing that Lanqin was still asleep, Nianxue naturally couldn't force her, so she pulled down the curtain for her while she remained standing at the door watching the battle below.
Meanwhile, the Fourth Prince fiddled with the chess pieces in his hand, his handsome eyes fixed on the black and white chessboard.
He wielded the black pieces, yet skillfully wielded the white.
Judging from the chessboard, the two seemed evenly matched. However, Li Wei noticed that Miao Shou's forehead was starting to sweat slightly, while Fourth Master's face remained gloomy, almost unchanged from when they were playing chess.
People around started discussing who would win and who would lose, and some even placed bets.
The skilled player held a chess piece in one hand, hesitant to place it, feeling increasingly strained. Meanwhile, the Fourth Master remained confidently certain of victory.
The skilled doctor thought bitterly, "I must win this round. That way, I won't have to go to that damned place." He knew that once he treated Emperor Kangxi, he would never be able to live as carefree as he was now. The other party was the ruler of a country, holding the power of life and death. If he wasn't careful, he could bring about his own demise.
As he pondered these matters, a sudden flash of inspiration struck him, and he discovered a flaw in the black pieces. He was about to place his piece there when he became suspicious: Would someone as skilled in calculation and quick-witted as Fourth Master have revealed such a weakness?
Fourth Master seemed to sense the skillful hand's hesitation, and said with his beautiful lips, "Sir, you seem to lack confidence in yourself. If you continue to hesitate like this, I'm afraid you'll have to abandon your pawn."
Provoked by his words, the skilled player immediately and without hesitation placed the stone at the very spot where the opening was.
The Fourth Master smiled almost imperceptibly and continued to place his pieces.
Gradually, the situation on the chessboard began to subtly change, with the white pieces gaining an increasing advantage. The spectators also began to stir; those who had bet on the fourth master to win were starting to become anxious.
Miao Shou looked at Fourth Master with a hint of smugness, but the latter did not show the slightest sign of panic.
"Sir, I'm afraid you're going to lose!" Fourth Master said, looking up at Miaoshou.
"How could this be? My pieces clearly have the upper hand..." The expert carefully examined the chessboard, but suddenly realized that Fourth Master's black pieces had already controlled all of his pieces.
"Oh no, White has already lost! White can't move!" Suddenly, someone shouted from the side!
The master craftsman stared at the plate full of white pieces and the black pieces that were clearly half his size, his face ashen. He finally understood the trickery of that flaw. It was indeed deliberately revealed by the Fourth Master to lure him into a trap.
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