Chapter 033 Chapter 33

Yuan Ming noticed that when the silver-masked man sat down next to Yong Wang, Yong Wang looked uncomfortable for a moment, and the hand that was just resting on the back of his chair was withdrawn without a sound.

However, the action of the silver-masked man greatly eased Yuan Ming's dilemma. He just said that everyone was honored to be able to sit next to Yong Wang for dinner. If no one took the initiative to come forward at this time, he could imagine what kind of expression Yong Wang would make.

Yuan Ming quietly raised the corner of his mouth. It seems that he guessed correctly. The silver-masked man was definitely not an ordinary guard.

It's just that the guards came, but there was still a student missing.

Zhao Yucheng came over and bowed to the Prince of Yong: "Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty."

The Prince of Yong nodded slightly, and Zhao Yucheng sat next to Yuan Ming.

The two tables were all arranged properly. The governor was afraid that something would go wrong again, so he quickly raised his glass and said, "I toast to Your Majesty."

Fortunately, the Prince of Yong did not want to do anything else and accepted the glass of wine. The

governor spent a lot of time on this banquet. The dishes served were exquisite and delicious, and they were very local. The Prince of Yong praised every one of them.

Seeing this, the governor straightened his back and finally dared to raise his head and speak.

After a meal, the sun had climbed to the sky.

Prince Yong followed the guard to the pavilion to rest. He lazily leaned on the recliner, tapping the chessboard with his fingers.

The guard said at the right time: "There is a student named Zhang Bixian in this class. He is good at Go. Do you want to ask him to come and play with you?"

"Oh?" Prince Yong sat up straight, very interested: "Call them all over, so that I can get to know them."

The guard agreed quickly.

After a while, he brought them here.

Five people stood in a row, standing opposite the chess table. Prince Yong's eyes swept over them one by one.

None of them dared to look at Prince Yong, and they all lowered their heads. Only Yuan Ming was not afraid at all.

King Yong smiled, opened his folding fan, and waved it from time to time, with the dragon whiskers on his forehead floating in the breeze. He asked, "Who is Zhang Bixian?"

The guard had just informed them that King Yong had called them here to play chess. Zhang Bixian was mentally prepared. He took a deep breath and stepped forward: "I am Zhang Bixian, your Highness."

"I heard that you are good at Go." King Yong pushed the bowl with white chess pieces to the other side and motioned him to sit down: "It just so happens that I also like to play chess. I haven't had anyone to accompany me all the way. Let's have a good discussion today."

Zhang Bixian responded and sat down opposite King Yong.

As the first chess piece fell, both of them showed serious expressions. Others in the pavilion did not dare to make a sound, and watched the situation on the chessboard change quietly. It was very quiet for a while, with only the whistling breeze in my ears.

After half an hour, the first game ended and King Yong won.

King Yong laughed: "Before I came here, I heard that Shifang Town is a place with beautiful mountains and rivers, outstanding people and beautiful places. Today I see that it is true."

Zhang Bixian's forehead was sweating and he said he didn't dare.

Yuan Ming discovered that Zhang Bixian had a great talent in playing chess, so he was calm and focused only when playing chess, forgetting that the person opposite him was the king. But as soon as the game was over, his momentum fell, and he became the timid and cautious person again.

King Yong raised his eyebrows: "Too modest, let's continue."

The two of them were getting into the game of chess, and the people around them didn't dare to disturb them, so they could only stand quietly. Fortunately, the weather is cool now, and there is a breeze in the pavilion, so it is not too unbearable.

After more than an hour, King Yong looked at the chessboard and laughed.

Zhang Bixian said: "Your Majesty, your chess skills are superb, and Strawberry is ashamed of herself."

King Yong leaned back in the recliner and looked at him leisurely: "But why do I feel that you are giving in to me?"

Zhang Bixian was shocked and knelt down directly: "Your Majesty, I am wise. I am just not as good as others in strategy. Why does Your Majesty need me to give in?" After

this sudden incident, everyone else looked at each other, not knowing what to say.

King Yong's scrutinizing eyes turned over him, then he bent down and helped him up: "Kneeling all the time is not a good habit. This king is just joking. I hope you don't mind."

Zhang Bixian wiped the sweat off his face and said repeatedly that he didn't dare.

Prince Yong stopped looking at him and turned to Yuan Ming, saying, "It's boring to play chess with one person all the time. Come and play with me."

Yuan Ming replied, "I'm afraid I'll disappoint you. I can only read and paint, and I don't know anything about chess."

"Aren't you going to take the imperial examination? A gentleman must master the six arts, so how could you not know how to play chess?"

Yuan Ming pursed his lips.

Of course he knew how to play chess. In his previous life, he spent money to learn it in the academy in the county. Later, when he entered the officialdom, he had many opportunities to play chess and drink tea with dignitaries, but now he really couldn't. The

dean came to his rescue and said, "Your Highness, you don't know that Shifang Town is a small place, and there is no chess class in the school. Students who pass the imperial examination go to the county to learn chess after passing the examination."

Prince Yong suddenly realized, "So that's the case, but it doesn't matter. I can teach you. I believe that with your intelligence, Yuan Ming, you will be able to learn it in a short time."

The Go board is complicated, and the way of moving is even more varied. How can someone who has never learned to play chess master it in a short time?

Everyone knows that Prince Yong is deliberately making things difficult for him.

Before the banquet, Yuanming made Prince Yong suffer a loss, and he was going to get it back here.

Zhao Yucheng was a little anxious. Just when he was about to say something, he felt a pair of hands pulling his sleeves.

Yuan Ming's face was facing the direction of Prince Yong, but his hand hidden behind his back quietly pulled him, telling him not to act rashly.

Zhao Yucheng could only hold back.

Yuan Ming said, "Your Majesty has a good eye for people, and I admire you very much. I also believe that Your Majesty has enough patience and ability to teach me. But I think this is a bit boring. It happens that I have heard of another way to play chess from other places. I wonder if Your Majesty is interested in letting me teach you."

The smile on Prince Yong's face faded.

He has grown up so big, and no one dares to say that he wants to be his teacher in front of him, let alone a student who doesn't even have citizenship.

The town guard couldn't help but feel a little anxious, and hurriedly said, "Please forgive me, Your Majesty. Yuan Ming has never seen the world and doesn't know the rules. I accidentally bumped into you, Your Majesty. I definitely didn't mean to offend you."

Prince Yong raised his hand to interrupt him: "Master Fu, there is no need to say more. I have already said that I like Yuan Ming from the first sight, and I will not blame him."

After that, he looked at Yuan Ming again: "I am very interested in the way you play, but if you teach me but cannot beat me, I am afraid you will be punished."

He said this with a smile, but everyone present turned pale.

It is hard not to think of the punishment from Prince Yong as amputation or even death.

However, Yuan Ming remained calm, "Okay, then I will listen to you, Prince." Prince Yong

was very satisfied with this and waved his hand to ask people to put away all the chess pieces.

The two sat opposite each other at the chess table, Yuan Ming played the white pieces and Prince Yong played the black pieces.

Yuan Ming placed the first chess piece in the middle of the chessboard and said, "The chess game I want to teach you is called Gobang. As the name suggests, as long as the other person can connect the five chess pieces in a line, he will win."

"Connect in a line?" The king held a black piece between his index and middle fingers and gestured on the chessboard: "Horizontal, vertical or diagonal?"

"That's right."

The king smiled and said, "This way of playing is simple, but I have never heard of it before. Where did you know it, Yuan Ming?"

The reason why Yuan Ming dared to mention Gobang was because he was sure that no one present knew it.

This way of playing was recorded in a book of strange stories. It tells the story of a scholar who went astray on his way to school, but accidentally discovered a cave where immortals left mysterious ancient books and mountains of gold and silver.

This cave is located in a deep mountain valley, and is guarded by spirit beasts. Only by solving the puzzle left by the immortal can you obtain ancient books and gold.

The scholar studied hard for several days, tirelessly and insatiably, and finally solved the puzzle after 49 days. The answer is very simple, which is to connect five chess pieces into a line.

After entering the cave, he got the ancient books and gold. Not only did he win the imperial examination, but he also became a rich man with the gold.

However, the scholar was not happy, because every night he would dream of the immortal who gave him ancient books, gold and the immortal, and played chess with him in his dreams, but he could never beat the immortal. Every time he was awakened by a nightmare, he could not fall asleep again.

After being tortured like this for more than half a month, the scholar's spirit became worse and worse.

Until one night, he tried to connect five chess pieces into a line, and the immortal laughed and said you won, and then disappeared.

After that, the scholar never had a similar nightmare again, but he was still frightened, and he wrote down the rules of Gobang and passed it on to the people around him. During

the palace examination, when the emperor asked everyone if there was anything new to try, a student talked about the rules of Gobang. The emperor was quite interested and promoted it throughout the country. Since then, Gobang has become popular throughout the country.

The miscellany was really obscure and few people had read it. In his impression, no one had ever heard of it, and of course King Yong could not know it.

Yuan Ming replied, "It's very simple, but compared to Go, I think Gobang is more educational and relaxing. It can relax and give me a rest. After school, I often play Gobang with my husband."

King Yong nodded, "You and your husband have a really good relationship. I have never heard of anyone who would play chess with his husband."

"My husband plays with me." Yuan Ming rarely showed some youthful spirit, "He doesn't like to play much. I always have to coax him to play."

King Yong laughed when he heard this.

Seeing that the atmosphere between the two of them was so harmonious, everyone else felt relieved.

Gobang was played very quickly, and within half an hour, they had played dozens of games, winning and losing half, and no one felt angry.

After playing another round, Yuan Ming said: "I think playing like this lacks fun, and winning or losing doesn't mean much. Why not let other students join in? If they lose, we can change people. What do you think, Prince?"

Prince Yong clapped his hands: "Good idea, let's do it!"

So, Zhao Yucheng and the other four joined the game. At first, they were very reserved, but after playing a few games, they gradually became familiar with it. It seemed that for a moment, they really forgot the difference in status between them and Prince Yong, and put all their hearts into the game.