"I lost!" Miao Shou said helplessly, pushing his hand across the chessboard.
"You flatter me!" Fourth Master said with a smile.
"In the third round, I would like to test my martial arts against Fourth Master! I wonder if I would be fortunate enough to have the opportunity to exchange blows with Fourth Master?" A ruthless glint flashed in Miao Shou's eyes, showing a hint of dissatisfaction with his age.
"Alright, let's have lunch first. Mr. Miao is much older, and this competition is probably a bit unfair." Fourth Master looked up and glanced upstairs. Only Nianxue was standing there, and Lanqin was still sleeping.
“Okay, meet at 3:45 PM on that open space outside,” Miaoshou said.
After everyone dispersed, Fourth Master instructed Su Peisheng to arrange lunch, and then went up the stairs alone. He carried an invisible aura that repelled others, and everyone who passed by Fourth Master unconsciously gave way.
The skilled hand remained seated in the same spot, staring blankly at the expectant face.
Li Wei silently sat down in the spot where Fourth Master had been sitting and began to stare at the chessboard.
"It seems you've truly found a good place. This person is even more cunning than a ghost!" The Mastermind prided himself on always being the one in control of the rules, but now he was falling into someone else's rules.
"Dr. Miao, I advise you not to compete with Fourth Master. It would be bad if you hurt him or yourself," Li Wei earnestly advised.
"If anything happens to me, you can take care of me in my final days, because that's what you owe me. Otherwise, I can enjoy a few more years of carefree and happy life."
Hearing this, Li Wei felt a little uneasy, but Doctor Miao was too stubborn to listen to advice, and the other doctor was not someone he could persuade.
When Fourth Master entered the room, he saw Lanqin standing in front of a window facing outwards, gazing outside, completely unaware that someone was approaching from behind.
"You'd rather stand here doing nothing than go and see the master?" Fourth Master said coldly, his face stern.
"My lord, I know your chess skills are superb, and you will surely defeat him. If I stand aside, I'm afraid it will distract you." Lanqin knew that the Fourth Prince was deliberately provoking her, so she turned around with a smile, grabbed one of the Fourth Prince's hands, and pulled him to the window to say this.
"You little smooth talker, you sure know how to make excuses for yourself." Fourth Master raised his hand and gently pinched Lanqin's nose, saying affectionately, "What are you looking at?"
"I didn't see much, just those mountains; the scenery is quite beautiful. If there's a chance, would you like me to accompany Lanqin for a hike?" Back when Lanqin was still Lin Mengyao, studying for her doctorate at the Capital University, she often went hiking in Fragrant Hills and visited the Great Wall with her classmates. Now, confined to the Fourth Prince's inner quarters, she's truly feeling stifled. Furthermore, since accompanying Emperor Kangxi on his tours, she's been riding in a carriage almost every day, which is incredibly boring. Who says accompanying the Emperor on a tour means going to the south of the Yangtze River!
"Alright, once I've cured Father Emperor's headache, I'll ask Father Emperor to grant me a few days off. Then I'll accompany you to see all the sights and wonders of Jinan." The Fourth Prince looked at the little princess in his arms, genuinely fond of this little woman who never hid her likes and dislikes.
The two stood quietly by the window, gazing at the distant mountains, each lost in their own thoughts, yet both able to feel the other's care and sincerity. This moment, which Lanqin would later recall with deep emotion during many difficult times, evoked profound feelings in her.
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